Leela's Journey I'm bad at titles
by Shaymin123
Summary: A girl named Leela heads out on her pokemon journey.... reviews are greatly appreciated.....by the way, if you run into any pokemon graphics while reading my story, they were not made by me!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Eevee

Hi. I am Leela. I live in Motem Town, in the Mothemm reigon. I have always wanted to be a pokémon trainer, but I don't have pokémon. I always carry some pokéballs with me so that I can try to catch a pokémon. But so far, every pokémon I tried to capture managed to break free.

Well, one day, I was walking from school. I had already dropped off my friends, Erin, Hannah, Heather, and Nikolai. I still had time to kill before I got home, so I looked back and forth (my mom doesn't want me catching wild pokémon without another pokémon to defend me) and dashed into the long grass. Before long, I found an Eevee! I threw a pokéball at it. The pokéball sucked the Eevee up and held it. I was already thinking of names when the ball shook once and the Eevee broke free! I sighed. There was nothing I could do. I started home.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: A Confrontation

I walked into my house, head in a daze. Suddenly, my little sister, Jeni, popped out of a corner.

"Boo!" she shrieked.

"Ahhhh! How many times have I told you not to do that??" I snapped.

"Well, it's fun to scare you!! Did you see Nikolai today?" Jeni asked me.

"Of course I saw Nikolai! Why are you asking?" I asked her.

"Leela's love sicky sicky sicky for niky!!" she giggled.

"Stop that!" I said. Jeni rolled her eyes and started singing again.

"Mooom! Make her stop!" I said.

"I don't blame you. That Nikolai seems like a nice boy."

"Mom! You always side with Jeni! Besides, he's only my friend!" I said.

"Yea, sure." My mom said playfully. I sighed and went up to my room. It was covered in legendary pokémon posters, from Dialgia to Eienti. I sighed and stroked my Zapados poster. I wished I could have a pokémon. I didn't care which type it was, I would feed it, nurture it, and battle it. I sighed and collapsed on my bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The Birthday

The next morning I got up. Then I remembered what day it was. It was my birthday!! Maybe I would get a pokémon! I ran down the stairs. My parents and sister sat on the kitchen stools with three wrapped packages on the counter.

"Good morning." They said.

"Good morning." I said back.

"Open your presents!" Jeni squeaked. I picked up a large, rectangular present. It could be a bag of pokéfood! I ripped it open. It was a white cardboard box. I opened the cardboard box. Inside was a pink shirt with a pokéball on it. I read the tag.

"Thanks, mom!" I said as enthusiastically as I could muster.

"You're welcome, sweetie." My mom said. Then I picked up another rectangular present. I ripped it open. Another cardboard box. I managed to suppress a sigh and opened the box. It was a pair of jeans with pokéballs all over the belt and hems. Again, I looked on the tag.

"Thanks dad!" I said in which I hoped was an enthusiastic tone.

"Open mine, open mine!" Jeni said. It was a little sphere. I gasped. It had to be a pokéball! I ripped it open. It was a heal ball. There was no pokémon in it, though.

"Thanks, Jeni." I said more enthusiastically.

"Thanks everyone." I said. It was a weekend, so there was no school. Erin was holding a birthday party for me at her house. She had lots of pokémon. Her favorite type was ghost pokémon. Hannah, Heather, and Nikolai also had pokémon. I quickly said good-bye to everyone and dashed out of the door. I ran to Erin's house and rang the doorbell.

"Hi!" Erin said, opening the door.

"Hi!" I said.

"Hi!" Heather said.

"Hi!" I said.

"Hi!" Hannah said.

"Hi!" I said.

"Hey!" Nikolai said.

"Hi!" I said.

"We have a great surprise for you!" Erin said.

"Can you open our presents?" Heather asked.

"Sure." I said. Erin brought me to the living room. I quickly patted one of Erin's Skitties, Yeti, as he rushed by. I looked at the presents they were ALL sphere shaped! I started to have a feeling of great joy rise up in me.

"Open mine first!" Erin said. I ripped the wrapping paper off of the present. It was a pokéball!

"Press the button!" Erin said. I did as she said. Out popped a Gastly!!!

"She's beautiful!" I said.

"You can give her a nickname." Erin said. "Spirit!" I said without thinking. "I love her!" I put Spirit back in her ball.

"Open mine next!" Heather said. I gasped. It was another sphere-shaped present. I ripped the wrapping paper. It was another pokéball!

"Press the button!" Heather said. I did. A Happiny popped out.

"She's gorgeous!" I said again.

"She hatched from an Egg." Heather said proudly. "I put my Blissey and Clefable together."

"What's her nickname?" Erin asked. I stared at the small lock of curly hair growing from the top of the Happiny's head.

"Curly-Q!" I said. I scratched her head. Curly-Q made an odd noise. Heather giggled. "That means she likes you." Heather said. I put Curly-Q back in her ball.

"Open mine now!" Hannah said. It was ANOTHER spherical present! I ripped the wrapping paper off of the pokéball. "Now press the button." Hannah said. I did as she asked, trembling with excitement. It was a Ralts!

"What's his nickname?" Heather asked. I thought hard.

"Swordsman, because I'll evolve him into a Gallade someday." I said. Then I put him back into his pokéball.

"I'm glad you saved the best for last." Nikolai said with a smile. He handed me yet ANOTHER spherical present!!!! I ripped off the wrapping paper. It was a timer ball!

"You'd better like it." Nikolai said. "It took me a long time to capture this baby." I smiled and pressed the button. It was a Minun! I smiled and scratched it behind the ears. It made a little RRRRR sound.

"What's his nickname?" Hannah asked.

"His name's Thunderbolt." I said. Then I put him back into his pokéball and hugged everyone. "Thank you!!!!" I shrieked.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Leela Shows Off Her Pokémon

After the party was over, I said thank-you to everyone three million times and dashed to my house.

"Mom! Dad! Jeni! Guess what I got!" I said.

"What is it?" they asked.

"I got pokémon!!" I said. I pressed the button on Spirit's ball. My parents gasped.

"Oh my, a Gastly!" my mom said.

"You're not going to make me take her back to Erin, are you?" I asked worryingly.

"No, just keep her in her pokéball when she's in the house." Mom said. I let out a sigh of relief. Then I pressed the button on Curly-Q's ball.

"Awwww! How cute!" My sister said. I smiled and scratched Curly-Q's little tuft. Then I pressed the button on Swordsman's ball. Out he came.

"He's beautiful!" My mother breathed. Next I pressed the button on Thunderbolt's ball.

"Awwww! He's so cute!" everyone in my family said. Then I put every pokémon back in their balls and turned to my family.

"You can go in the long grass now, as long as you have at least one of those pokémon with you." My mom said.

"Don't worry!" I told her. "I'll take them everywhere!" I dashed up to my room and let out Thunderbolt. I stroked his fur. Little zaps of electricity ran through my body. I smiled. I had my very own pokémon!!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: The Journey

I woke up the late that night, energized and refreshed. I grabbed all of my pokémon and my pokéballs and ran downstairs. I decided I wanted to go on a journey to see the region and capture lots of pokémon along the way. I was going to ask my friends. I couldn't tell my parents or any of my friend's parents. I was going by myself. Good thing everyone was asleep. I eased open the door and ran out. I ran to Hannah's house first. I climbed up the lattice to her room.

"Hannah!" I cried. Hannah groaned and stirred.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm going on an adventure! Want to come with me?" I asked.

"Sure! I love to go on adventures! Let's see . . . which pokémon shall I bring?" Hannah said and rummaged through her closet. "Hmm, let's see . . . I'll bring my Slowpoke, Starmie, Medicham, Eggscute, Chingling, and ooooh, better bring my Hypno." I knew all of Hannah's pokémon's names. The Slowpoke's name is Sluggish, the Starmie's name is Ruby, the Medicham's name is Minerva, the Eggscute's name is Coconut, the Chingling's name is Bell, and the Hypno's name is Hippie. Then Hannah climbed down the lattice and grabbed her bike.

"Let's go to Heather's house!" Hannah said. So we biked to Heather's house. Heather's parents always leave the door unlocked. We eased open the door and crept up the stairs to Heather's room.

"Heather!" I whispered in her ear.

"Whaaaaaat?" Heather asked.

"We're going on an adventure!! Want to come with us???" Hannah asked. Heather's eyes popped out of their sockets.

"Sure." She said. She grabbed six pokéballs. "I'm bringing my new luvdisc, my Treecko, my Mudkip, my Clefable, my Torchic, and my Hippotas." Heather said.

"Sweet. Let's go to Erin's." I said. We all nodded and went down the street to Erin's house. I opened her window.

"ERIN!" I whispered, taking care not to wake Erin's younger sister, Kylee. Erin stirred and moaned.

"What?" she asked.

"Erin, we're going on an adventure. Want to come with us?" Heather asked.

"Sure!" Erin said and jumped out of bed. "I'll take my Haunter, Casper, my Duskull, Scary, my Driftloon, Balloon, my Absol, Magic, my Mukrow, Fogg, and my Gengar, Neruda. I've got them all!! Let's ride." Erin climbed out the window, grabbed her bike, and we went to Nikolai's house.

"Nik!" I whispered.

"What?" he asked.

"We're going on an adventure! Want to come with us?" I said. Nikolai smiled.

"Just you try to stop me." he said. He went into his closet.

"Let's see, I'll take my Chimchar, Geodude, Staravia, Onix, Ponyta, and Luxio." He said. "Let's go!!" He jumped out of his window and took his bike and we took off down route 219.

****

"How far is Gremlin town, anyway?" Hannah asked me.

"Not far." Nikolai said distractedly.

"I wasn't asking you, I was asking Leela." Hannah snapped.

"I don't think we're too far." I said.

"Well, I don't think I can wait. I'm tired. I think my legs are going to give out." Hannah said.

"Me too. Let's rest." Erin said. We all nodded in agreement and got off our bikes.

"How long are we going to rest?" Heather asked.

"We are probably going to have to get going if we don't want our parents to find us." Nik said.

"You're right." I said. We got on our bikes and drove toward Gremlin town.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: A New Addition to the Team

"I can barley see the road!" Nikolai said.

"I know it's so dark out." Heather said. I squinted.

"I think I see a light!" I said.

"Do you think it's Gremlin town?" Erin asked.

"No, it's too small. It looks like a flashlight!" Hannah said. We biked toward it. Holding the flashlight was a boy, maybe a year younger than me. He had brown hair and brown eyes.

"Hi!" I said.

"Hi." He said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I might ask the same of you." He said.

"It's none of your business." Nikolai said. The boy gave Nik an indignant look.

"I'm Garrison." He said to me.

"I'm Leela, and this is Heather, Hannah, Nikolai, and Erin." I said. He nodded at us.

"Do you want a battle?" Garrison asked Nikolai, who was giving him a Look.

"What makes you think that?" Nik asked.

"OK, calm down you guys." Heather said, stepping in between Garrison and Nikolai, who both looked ready to throw a pokéball.

"What do you want?" Nik asked.

"I want to travel with you." Garrison said.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Nik challenged. I gave him a warning look.

"You're going to Gremlin town, I can see that. Leela, you're just starting out as a pokémon trainer, am I right?" Garrison asked.

"Yes! How did you know?" I asked. Garrison pointed to my belt.

"You don't have a trainer case, but you have pokémon." He said.

"Oh yea! I have to make one when we get to Gremlin town." I said.

"If we are ever going to GET there we have to hurry." Hannah said. We nodded, got on our bikes, and biked off. Nikolai biked up next to me and whispered,

"I don't like this guy. He scares me." I just sighed.

"We're here!" Garrison's triumphant voice rang out. I was very happy to see the humble town.

"OK, now that we're here, where do we stay?" Heather asked.

"There's an inn down this way." Garrison said. When we got to the inn, we leaned our bikes against the bike stand and went inside. The man at the front desk winked at us.

"Could we have a room, please?" Erin asked, then looked at Nik and Garrison looking at each other like they wanted to kill each other.

"Umm, better make that two." She added.

"100 poké points please." The man said. Erin reached into her purse and gave him the poké points. He handed her two keys.

"Your room numbers are 413 and 414." He said. We thanked him and went up to our rooms.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: The Breakfast Bar

Hannah was shaking me.

"Whaddyawant??" I grumbled.

"The inn's having a breakfast bar. Let's go, before the food's all gone! And bring your pokémon. You might be able to get some battling in!" Hannah said. I quickly brushed my hair, brushed my teeth, straightened my glasses, and grabbed my pokémon.

"Let's go!!" Erin said. We walked down the stairs.

"Leaping Grovyles!" Heather exclaimed.

"What?" Nik asked. Heather pointed to a boy with jet-black hair, pale skin, brown eyes, and wearing a baseball cap, a long blue coat, jeans, and a black tee shirt. He was about my age. He was with an older teenage boy and a black-haired girl about my age.

"That's. . . . . . that's . . . ." Nik rubbed his eyes. "He's Ash Ketchum!!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Ash Ketchum

"Are you sure that's him?" Erin asked.

"Of course I'm sure! He's got Brock and Dawn with him." Nik said. "And Pikachu!" He was way cuter in person than on TV.

"Earth to Leela, Earth to Leela!" Heather called. I shook my head I got into the line and picked out a bagel, sneaking looks at Ash. Nikolai and Garrison looked at me, then at Ash, back and forth. Then they burst out laughing.

I gave them a Look that said, 'what are you laughing at?!' That just made them laugh harder. Erin, Hannah, and Heather snorted.

"What is up with them?" Heather asked.

"I don't know. Let's ask them!!" Erin said. We went to the table they were sitting at.

"What's so funny?" I asked Nik and Garrison.

"Nothing." They said, but by their wide grins, I could tell they were bluffing. I sighed. I started eating my bagel.

"Did you know there's a Gym in this town?" Garrison asked.

"No!! What type of pokémon is it dedicated to?" I asked.

"Grass type. The Gym leader's name is Greenalia." Garrison replied.

"Oh yea!! I remember now!" Nikolai burst out.

"Remember what?" We asked, confused.

"Before we leave, I want to defeat Greenalia." He said.

"Us too! What badge does she give out?" We asked Garrison.

"She gives out the Garden badge." He said. "But she's pretty tough. How are your pokémon in battle, Leela?"

"I don't know. I became a pokémon trainer only yesterday." I said.

"What pokémon do you have?" Garrison asked.

"A Minun, a Ralts, a Happiny, and a Gastly." I said. Garrison nodded.

"Cool. They might need more training, but you might be able to defeat Greenalia." He said.

"Do you have those pokémon with you?" A voice behind me said. I turned around. It was Ash Ketchum!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: The Battle

I felt my cheeks get hot.

"Yes." was all I managed to say.

"What's your name?" Ash asked.

"Leela Locke, of Motem town." I said. Ash Ketchum grinned.

"Then, Leela Locke, I challenge you to a pokémon battle!" He said. My heart went racing.

"Ash Ketchum, I accept your challenge!" I said. I stood up, trying to look confident. Ash smiled at me, a smile that made my insides turn out. He threw a pokéball.

"Go! Monferno!" he called. A Monferno appeared. I thought for a minute, then I grabbed Swordsman's pokéball and threw it.

"Go! Swordsman!" I called. My Ralts appeared. Ash grinned again, (making my insides turn once more) and yelled,

"Monferno, Fire Spin!" A vortex of flames erupted around Swordsman. When the vortex vanished, Swordsman was burned pretty badly, but he could still fight. He turned towards me, awaiting orders.

"Swordsman, Confusion!" I called. Ash's Monferno started to distort. When it was over, the Monferno collapsed.

"Yea Leela!" Nikolai called. Ash gasped. He recalled Monferno.

"Swordsman, take a rest." I said. Swordsman reluctantly went into his pokéball. "Go! Curly-Q!" I said. I threw the pokéball. My Happiny appeared. Ash called,

"Go! Staraptor!"

"Curly-Q, Egg Bomb!" I called. Curly-Q threw an egg at the Staraptor. Then the egg exploded. Ash's Staraptor reeled backwards, but recovered quickly from the blow and stood proud.

"Staraptor, Aerial Ace!" Ash called. Uh-oh, I thought. The Staraptor flew towards Curly-Q and slammed into her, whacking her with his wings and beak. It was too much for her. She collapsed on her side. Brock and Dawn cheered. I winced and recalled Curly-Q. Ash ran over to Staraptor and gave it a hug.

"Staraptor, take a rest." Ash said. The proud Staraptor went into its pokéball.

"Go! Buizel!" Ash called. He threw the pokéball, and a Buizel appeared.

"Go! Spirit!" I yelled as the pokéball went soaring threw the air. My Gastly appeared.

"Buizel, Water Gun!" Ash called. The Buizel spat water at Spirit, sending her flying back. She didn't get up. I winced again and checked to see if she was alright. She wasn't dead, just defeated. Brock and Dawn cheered again. I sighed and recalled her.

"Thank you, Buizel!" Ash said. I yelled,

"Go! Thunderbolt!" My Minun appeared. "Thunderbolt, Discharge!" I called. Thunderbolt charged up electricity, then unleashed it on the Buizel. The Buizel was sent flying. Buizel was defeated.

"Go, Leela!" Erin called.

"No!" Ash cried and ran to his Buizel. I smiled and hugged Thunderbolt, sending little zaps of electricity through me. Ash recalled his Buizel and threw a pokéball.

"Go! Grotle!" He called. "Grotle, Solarbeam!" A ray of light came into the room and smashed into Thunderbolt. He lay still. "Nuts!" I said and recalled him.

"Yea Ash!" Dawn called. I recalled Thunderbolt.

"Grotle, take a rest." Ash said. "Go! Pikachu!" Ash called. Pikachu stepped in front of Ash. I had no choice but to bring out poor, burnt Swordsman.

"Go! Swordsman!" I yelled. "Swordsman, Psychic!" I called. A beam of purple light from Swordsman sent Pikachu flying. But it recovered.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash said. I'm finished, I thought. A bolt of lighting struck down from the ceiling and hit Swordsman. Down went Swordsman. I recalled him. Dawn and Brock cheered. Ash embraced Pikachu. Ash walked over to me.

"You're a really great Trainer. I really enjoyed that battle!" he said. I smiled and flushed red. Nik and Garrison gave each other a Look. "We'll meet again, Leela Locke of Motem town. Good luck on your journey." He said and disappeared.

"Wow, he's amazing." Erin said.

"He battles so efficiently." Garrison agreed.

"Let's go to the Pokémon Center. Leela needs to revive her pokémon." Hannah said. So we walked there. At the Pokémon Center, there was . . . . . . Brock and Dawn!

"Hiya! I'm Dawn. I just want to congratulate you for that awesome battle. I can't believe you took out two of Ash's pokémon!"

"Thanks!" I said.

"Where's Ash?" Nik asked.

"At the Poké Mart. He's buying some Revives for the next time he runs into her!" Dawn said, pointing at me. I started turning red.

"I wasn't that good . . . ." I started, but Brock cut me off.

"Such humility! Listen, when Ash started out, he couldn't have done better." He said, turning away from the pink-haired lady at the counter.

"Thank you." I said, turning even redder. I walked up to the counter.

"Hi, I'm Nurse Joy. Do you want me to heal your pokémon?" she asked. I handed over my pokéballs.

"Yes, please." I said. Nurse Joy smiled and took them. Five minutes later, she handed the pokéballs back to me. "Have a nice day!" She said. I thanked her, said good-bye to Brock and Dawn, and walked out.

"Let's go to the Poké Mart. We can buy some Potions that can help us defeat Greenalia." Nik said.

"Good idea. Let's go." Heather said.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Preparing to Defeat Greenalia

When we got to the Poké Mart, I took a good look around, but no Ash. He must have already left, I thought, disappointed. I guess my disappointment must have shown, because Garrison asked,

"Why the long face, Leela?"

"Oh, no reason." I said cheerfully. I spotted some Potions. I grabbed a few and went to the front counter.

"25 Poké Points, please." The woman at the counter said. I handed her the Poké Points, grabbed the Potions, and walked outside. When we got to the Gym, we went inside.

After defeating the lesser Trainers in the Gym, a man came up to us.

"Only one Trainer at a time to challenge the Gym Leader. Who shall go first?" He asked.

"I will." I said without thinking. The man nodded.

"Good luck, Leela!" my friends called. I nodded and followed the man into the dark tunnel. We stopped at the end.

"Are you ready?" the man asked. I nodded. "Let me give you a tip. Grass type is especially vulnerable to Flying and Fire types. So use those types." He said.

"Thanks." I said.

"Good luck." The man said and opened the door.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: Greenalia

The room was a greenhouse. Standing in the middle was a teenage girl about as old as Brock, with emerald green eyes, flaming red hair, and pale skin. She was wearing a green tank top that said IVYSAUR and blue shorts. She was also wearing a necklace with a peace sign dangling from it and what looked like vines with flowers growing up her arms. When I looked closer, I could see it was painted.

"It's permanently painted. It won't wash off. I hate tattoos." The teenage girl said. "I'm Greenalia. You must be Leela."

"Yes, Miss." I said. Greenalia chuckled.

"I take it this is your first Gym?" she asked.

"Yes! How did you know?" I asked.

"No trainer case." Greenalia said, pointing to my belt. "I'll give you one after this battle! Leela, I accept your challenge! Go! Ivysaur!" Greenalia called and threw a pokéball. Greenalia's Ivysaur appeared in a blaze of light.

"Go! Thunderbolt!" I called and threw a pokéball. Thunderbolt appeared.

"Ivysaur, Magical Leaf!" Greenalia called. A bunch of multi-colored leaves came out from Ivysaur's back and swarmed Thunderbolt. When the swarm vanished, Thunderbolt got up. He was OK!

"Thunderbolt, Discharge!" I called. Thunderbolt started charging electricity in his fur and shocked Greenalia's Ivysaur. The Ivysaur withered in pain, but it didn't collapse.

"Ivysaur, Vine Whip!" Greenalia called. But her Ivysaur didn't move. It was paralyzed! I cheered inwardly.

"Thunderbolt, DoubleSlap!" I called. Thunderbolt walked up to the Ivysaur and slapped him in the face twice, hard. Then the Ivysaur fell on its side. Greenalia recalled it.

"Don't think you're winning yet! Go! Leafeon!" Greenalia called, throwing another pokéball.

"Thunderbolt, ThunderShock!" I called. Thunderbolt bounced over to the Leafeon and zapped it with its ear. The Leafeon hissed.

"Leafeon, Razor Leaf!" Greenalia called. A cloud of razor-sharp leaves surrounded Thunderbolt. When the cloud cleared, he was standing, but barely.

"Thunderbolt, come back!" I called. Thunderbolt willingly went back into his pokéball. I grabbed Swordsman's pokéball.

"Go! Swordsman!" Swordsman popped out of his pokéball, energized and ready to go. He turned to me. "Swordsman, Psychic!" I called. A beam of purple light hit the Leafeon. It collapsed. Greenalia called her Leafeon back.

"I can't remember the last time I was cornered by a beginner! Go! Victreebel!" Greenalia called. _Uh-oh_, I thought. Greenalia's Victreebel appeared.

"Swordsman, Hypnosis!" I called. Swordsman faced the Victreebel and light shot out from his eyes. The Victreebel fell asleep!

"Victreebel, Sludge Bomb!" Greenalia called, but the Victreebel couldn't move because it was asleep!

"Swordsman, Confusion!" I called. The Victreebel started to distort. After it was over, the Victreebel fell over.

"Wow, I never excpected a beginning Trainer to be that good! With that in mind, I proudly grant you this Garden badge!" Greenalia said. She handed me a trainer case. I opened it, and inside was the Garden badge!

"Thanks!" I said.

"Oh, no problem! And I'll also give you this." She said. She handed me a TM.

"That TM is to teach your Ralts Magical Leaf. It's one of my favorite moves." She said.

"Thank you!" I said.

"Oh, no problem! Hey, I really enjoyed that battle. It was the most fun I'd had in a long time. I can tell your pokémon really like you. You're destined for greatness, I can tell you that!" Greenalia said.

"Thanks!" I said. "Bye!"

"Bye!" Greenalia said. I opened the door.

"How did it go?" The man asked me.

"Great!" I said. He showed me down the hall and into the main room.

"How did it go?!" All of my friends asked me at once. I opened my brand-new trainer case and showed them my badge.

"Wow! Impressive!" Nikolai said. "I'm going next!" he said. The man took him down the hall.

"What was she like?" Erin asked.

"Oh, she was very nice. She also gave me a TM to use on Swordsman. It's for Magical Leaf."

"Nice!" Heather said.

"What does she look like?" Hannah asked.

"She's very pretty. She's got really green eyes, red hair, and pale skin." I said.

"I can't wait to battle her!" Garrison said. "I've heard so much about her." The door opened. Nikolai came out, beaming with happiness.

"I defeated Greenalia!" He announced.

"Good job!" Everyone said.

"I'll go next!" Hannah said. She went in the hallway with the man.

"I bet Hannah will beat Greenalia." I said.

"Bet she won't." Nik said.

"Bet she will!" I said. Then Hannah came out with the Garden badge pinned onto her vest.

"I did it!" she said. I gave Nik an 'I told you so' Look. He playfully stuck his tongue out at me. I laughed.

"Who's next?" The man asked.

"ME! Wish me luck!" Erin said.

"Good luck!" we called. Erin walked down the hall with the man.

"How was the battle?" I asked Hannah.

"Awesome! She said I was no match for her." Hannah said. I gave Nikolai another 'I told you so' Look and a wink. He winked back.

"Do you like Nik?" Hannah whispered in my ear.

"As a friend, yes." I said cautiously. "Why are you asking?"

"I've noticed an awful lot of winking." Hannah said. I rolled my eyes.

"You think that means anything?" I asked. Hannah shrugged.

"Just wondering." She said.

"Where are we going after we leave Gremlin town? Are we going to climb up Mt. Emptop and visit Summit town or go through the valley between Mt Emptop and Mt Frosscap?" Garrison asked.

"Between Mt Emptop and Mt Frosscap. I'm not ready to go hiking up the tallest mountain in the reigon." I said.

"Awwww, come on! There are lots of rare pokémon up there." Garrison sarcastically complained.

"There are a lot of rare pokémon in the Sandslash dessert, too." I argued. Garrison rolled his eyes.

"I guess so." He said sulkily. I giggled. Erin came out of the hall with the man, her face beaming.

"Did she give you the badge?" I asked.

"Yes!" Erin said.

"Nice." I said. Erin opened her trainer case. Next to the Garden badge was the Ocean badge.

"I didn't know you defeated Aquanica!" I exclaimed.

"I defeated her when I went to Beachbum city." Erin said.

"Awesome!" Nik said.

"Who's next?" The man asked.

"Me!" Heather said and went down the hall before we could wish her good luck.

"I wonder how she'll do. I had a tough time with Greenalia's Victreebel." Erin said. I smiled, thinking about how Swordsman sent the Victreebel to sleep in the blink of an eye.

"Guys, I'm going to take a quick run to the Poké Center. Poor Thunderbolt is dead on his feet." I said.

"OK." My friends said.

"Thanks." I said. I walked out of the Gym and down the street. Gremlin town was such a nice town. _Maybe I'll live here when I grow up_, I thought. When I got back, Heather and Garrison both had Garden badges and Greenalia was there.

"What are you doing here?" I cautiously asked Greenalia.

"I want to come with you! I've never seen such dedicated Trainers before! I want to see where destiny takes you."

"What about your Gym?" I asked.

"My friend Fern can take over. Besides, I won't be gone all that long." Greenalia said.

"Leela, it's your call. Can she go with us?" Garrison asked. I thought.

"She can come with us. We can learn from her." I said.

"Thank you." Greenalia said.

"Do you have a Bike?" I asked.

"Yes." Greenalia said.

"Good. We'll meet you at the opening of Route 7." I said.

"Great. I'll pack up." Greenalia said.

"Let's move out. We should do a little bit of exploring before we leave." Erin said.

"Count me in." Nik said. We all walked out of the gym.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Exploring Gremlin Town

"Where should we go?" Nik asked.

"Let's go to the Pokémon Center. Our pokémon are exhausted." Hannah said.

"OK, we'll go there." I said. We walked to the Pokémon Center and healed our pokémon. Nik released his Chimchar and it rode on his shoulder. I giggled.

"What?" he asked. "Oh, nothing." I said, grinning.

"I'm hungry. Let's go eat something." Garrison said.

"Sure." We said. We saw a hot dog stand and each got a hot dog. We bought Perfect Apples for our pokémon.

"Let's go to the park!" Garrison said.

"Why?" I asked cautiously.

"We can eat on a bench." Garrison said. We nodded and walked to the park. We released our pokémon, gave them their Perfect Apples, and sat on the bench.

"Sooooo, Leela, how do you like being a Trainer?" Nik asked.

"Are you kidding?! It's all I dreamed of and more!!" I said. He grinned.

"Glad to hear it." He said.

"Nikolai Fernandez!" someone called. We turned around. It was a boy with dirty blonde hair and evil blue eyes.

"Jamie Gill!" Nik said. "What's up?" Heather and I rolled our eyes. Jamie Gill was a very, very, obnoxious jerk that went to our school and for some reason almost every boy he met wanted to be his friend, and every girl that met him wanted to be his girlfriend except for Heather, me, Erin, and Hannah.

"Nothing much. Do you want to have a battle?" Jamie asked Nik. Heather pushed Nikolai aside.

"Forget him, JAMIE, I'm battling you." Heather said.

"This is going to be so easy." Jamie said. "Go! Magikarp!" Heather rolled her eyes.

"A Magikarp, Jamie? Seriously, can you get any worse than that? Watch how the master does it. Go! Clefable!" Heather called. Heather's Clefable appeared.

"Magikarp, BubbleBeam!" Jamie called. The Magikarp used Splash instead.

"Jamie, how come you battle with a worthless pokémon that doesn't even listen to you? Clefable, Wake-up Slap!" Heather said. Heather's Clefable walked up to Jamie's Magikarp and slapped him. The Magikarp flopped over.

"Don't get over confident! Go! Sableye!" Jamie called.

"Clefable, Faint Attack!" Heather called. A pink circle of light surrounded the Clefable and it whacked the Sableye with its claw. The Sableye fainted. Heather gave Jamie a smug look. His face grew bright red.

"I want a rematch!" He screamed.

"I don't think so." Heather said, rolling her eyes.

"Chicken!" Jamie taunted. Heather spun around and slapped him in the face.

"What'd you do that for?!" he asked.

"Because you called me chicken!" Heather said.

"Can I come with you?" Jamie asked, clearly talking to Nikolai.

"NO!!!!" Heather, Erin, Hannah, and I said.

"Why?" Nik asked.

"Reason #1, he's a jerk, reason #2, he's obnoxious, and reason #3, he's dumb!" Heather said.

"You know, I'm standing right here." Jamie said, sounding hurt. If I didn't know what a jerk he was, I would've felt sorry for him.

"Sorry Jamie, you can't come. Bye!" I said quickly and dragged Nik away by the arm. Everyone else followed. We put our pokémon back in their pokéballs and headed to the opening of Route 7.

"Why don't you like Jamie? Some of the things you said back there were pretty uncalled for." Nik said.

"I meant exactly what I said. And I'm not taking it back, either. I've been waiting for so long to say that to him!!!" Heather said.

"I'm glad." I said. Erin laughed.

"Me too." She said.

"Me three." Hannah said. We all put our arms around Heather.

"I love you guys!" She said.

"There's Greenalia!" Garrison said and waved. We got on our bikes and biked over. "You ready?" Greenalia asked.

"Yup!" we said.

"Let's go then! Through the long grass or on the road?" Greenalia asked.

"Long grass. Maybe I can capture some pokémon!" I said.

"Good idea." Nik said. "Let's go."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Capturing a Chikorita

We biked into the long grass.

"I found a cherubi! Go! Treecko!" Heather called. Suddenly, a wild Chikorita appeared right in front of me!

"Go! Thunderbolt!" I called, throwing a pokéball. "Thunderbolt, Discharge!" I called. Thunderbolt charged electricity in his fur and shocked the Chikorita. It couldn't move! I threw the heal ball that Jeni gave me at the Chikorita. The ball opened and the Chikorita was sucked in. The ball shook once, twice, three times before I heard a click. That meant the Chikorita was captured!

"YES!!!!" I screamed.

"What?" my friends asked alarmingly.

"Oh, nothing. I just caught my first pokémon . . . ." I said.

"Really?? Awesome!" Nik said.

"Huh? Then how come you had 4 pokémon?" Greenalia asked.

"I got them all for my twelfth birthday." I said.

"Ohhh, that makes sense." Greenalia said.

"What are you going to call it?" Erin asked.

"Chi-chi. The Chikorita's a girl." I said. We got back on our bikes.

"The mountains are so beautiful." I said and sighed. Nik nodded and looked in my eyes.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" I asked him.

"Oh, no reason." He said distractedly. Greenalia raise her eyebrows as her normally expressionless face twitched into a tiny smile.

"What?" I asked her.

"Oh, nothing." She said.

"Why is everyone giving me funny looks?" I asked. Garrison laughed.

"Two people hardly counts as 'everyone', Leela." He said.

"I'm really tired. Can we make camp for the night?" Hannah asked.

"Sure. Nik, Heather, and Garrison, can you guys help me with the tents?" Greenalia asked.

"Sure!" They said.

"I'll start a fire and cook dinner. Leela, want to help me?" Erin asked.

"Sure." I said. Erin and I had taken a course in survival, so we knew how to start a fire. I looked in Greenalia's provision bag. I laughed. Greenalia must've been fond of macaroni and cheese, since there were more than a few boxes. There was also some dried berries and Perfect Apples.

"What's in there?" Erin asked.

"Let's boil some water and cook some macaroni and cheese." I said.

"Sure, good idea." Erin said. We started the fire. I grabbed a cooking pot I took from my house.

"Hannah, can I borrow your Starmie?" I asked.

"Sure, you can borrow Ruby. Catch!" Hannah said. She tossed me the pokéball that Ruby was in. I caught it with both hands.

"Nice catch!" A voice behind me said.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: A Visitor

I quickly turned around.

"Brock! What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Catching pokémon. What are you doing here?" Brock asked.

"We're going to Mukrow City ." I said.

"Where's Dawn and Ash?"

"At camp." Brock said.

"The tents are ready!" Greenalia said. "Oh, is this Brock?" Greenalia asked and came over to us.

"Yes. Glad to meet you." Brock said, went down on one knee, and kissed Greenalia's hand. Greenalia blushed.

"I'm Greenalia, the Gym leader of Gremlin town." Brock got up and smoothed his vest.

"Well, I'd better get going now. See you around." Brock said and winked at Greenalia.

"Wait!" I said. "Tell Ash I said hi."

"Will do. See ya!" Brock said and rushed off.

"Leela! Water!" Erin said, annoyed. I pressed the button on Ruby's pokéball. The Starmie appeared.

"Ruby, can you spray water into this pot?" I asked. Ruby looked at me skeptically, but she did.

"Thanks!" I said and closed her pokéball. I tossed it back to Hannah and put the pot on the fire Erin had made. Before long, the water began to boil. Erin poured the macaroni into the boiling water and stirred it with a clean stick.

"How's dinner coming?" Heather asked, sitting next to me.

"Macaroni's cooking; it should be ready in a few minutes." I said.

"Good." Nik said, sitting next to Heather. "I'm starving." Then Hannah and Garrison walked over to us.

"What's for dinner?" Garrison asked.

"Macaroni and cheese. Where's Greenalia?" Erin asked.

"Catching some pokémon. I'll go get her." Hannah said, standing up.

"I'll go with you." I offered. We walked off. Once we were a safe distance away, Hannah asked,

"You sure you don't like Nik?"

"Yes!" I said.

"What about Ash Ketchum?" Hannah asked. I blushed, thinking of his charming smile. Hannah laughed.

"You do!!" She said.

"No, I don't." I said, my grin a mile wide.

"Did anyone tell you you're a worthless liar?" Hannah asked, laughing.

"Yes, my sister. Multiple times." I said, laughing.

"So you do." Hannah said. I nodded.

"I knew it!" she said.

"Boo!" Greenalia said, popping out of the long grass in front of us.

"Waaaah!" Hannah and I cried.

"DON'T do that again!" I said, my hand on my chest.

"Did I get you good!!" Greenalia said, laughing hysterically. We walked back to camp, where Erin was spooning macaroni and cheese into bowls. Greenalia, Hannah, and I grabbed a bowl and got in line.

"Here!" Erin said and spooned some macaroni in my bowl.

"Thanks!" I said. I sat between Heather and Garrison.

"The sunset is really pretty, huh Leela?" Garrison asked. I nodded.

"Yup, especially with the mountains. It looks fantastic!" Heather said. Erin joined us.

"Hi guys!" she said and sat next to Heather.

"Hiya!" I said. After we were done eating, we washed our faces and brushed our teeth (water reluctantly provided by Ruby!). We set up our sleeping bags in our tents. Garrison and Nik were in one, Greenalia was in one, and Erin, Heather, Hannah, and I shared one.

After we were done, Heather said,

"Whoa, look at the sky, you guys!" I looked up and gasped.

"Wow!" Hannah said. The sky was filled with twinkling stars.

"Amazing." Garrison remarked.

"Lie down on the ground! The stars are more visible!" Greenalia said. We did.

"Look! It's the great Ursaring constellation!" Erin said, pointing to the sky.

"There's the Teddiursa!" Heather said.

"There's the Skorupi!" Nik said.

"There's the Krabby!" Hannah said.

"This is awesome!" I said. Greenalia yawned.

"I'm going to bed. Good night, everyone." She said.

"Good night!" We called. Greenalia walked to her tent.

"Wow! It's 10:30!" I said.

"Whoa! Bedtime for us! Good night!" The boys said.

"Good night!" We said. Nik and Garrison walked to their tent.

"It's just us girls now." Hannah said, laughing.

"Yup." I said.

"Brock came over." Erin said.

"WHAT?!" Heather and Hannah asked.

"She's right. They're camping nearby." I said. "You should've seen Brock's face when he saw Greenalia! Totally lovestruck. It was so funny!!"

"He kissed her hand!" Erin added.

"Ooooh!" Heather and Hannah said.

"Ooooh indeed. And she blushed!" I said.

"Ooooh!" Hannah and Heather said.

"I wonder if she likes him." Erin said.

"Probably, she blushed!" Heather said.

"That doesn't mean she likes him." Erin pointed out. Hannah yawned.

"I'm going to bed. Good night everyone." She said.

"Good night!" We said. She went into our tent.

"I can't believe how beautiful the stars are." Erin said, changing the subject. Heather and I nodded.

"Me neither. They look like diamonds in the sky." Heather said. I nodded. I wondered what was up there.

"It makes you wonder what it's like up there." Erin said, reading my mind. She yawned.

"Bedtime for us!" Heather said. She and Erin walked toward the tent.

"Aren't you coming?" Erin asked.

"I'll be along in a little bit." I said.

"OK." Erin said. Heather and Erin went into the tent.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: Another Visitor

I sighed.

"Enjoying the view?" A voice asked. I quickly sat up and turned.

"Ash?! What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Decided to come since I know you were here." Ash said, his black hair glistening in the moonlight. My heart rate picked up. I nodded. Ash came and sat down next to me.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"11:00." I said. Ash nodded.

"What's your favorite pokémon?" He asked me. I shrugged.

"No idea. They're just all so awesome." I said. Ash smiled.

"Can you guess what mine is?" Ash asked.

"Easy! It's Pikachu!" I said. Ash laughed and nodded.

"You're right." He said. He pressed a button on a pokéball. His Pikachu came out.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu said, looking at me. Ash smiled and rubbed Pikachu's ears. I released Thunderbolt.

"Mai mai!" he said.

"That's your Minun?" Ash asked.

"Yup!" I said.

"Nickname's Thunderbolt, right?" he asked.

"Yup." I said.

"That's a good name. Does he know the move Thunderbolt?"

"Once I get my hands on the TM he will." I said. Ash laughed.

"Today is your lucky day then. Here." Ash said and handed me a TM. My eyes opened wide.

"Thanks!" I said, taking it from him.

"You're welcome." Ash said and smiled charmingly. My stomach lurched.

"How long were you standing there?" I asked him.

"Oh, a few hours." He said.

"WHAT?!" I asked.

"Just kidding. I got there right when you and your friends were talking about how the stars looked like diamonds in the sky." Ash said. I nodded. Ash stood up.

"I'd better get going now. I'll see you soon." He said.

"Bye." I said.

"Bye." Ash said and dashed into the woods, Pikachu at his heels. I blushed.

****

I recalled Thunderbolt and went inside my tent. Hannah was awake, and grinning. _Uh-oh_, I thought.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.

"We heard everything." Heather said, her head popping out of her sleeping bag. Erin nodded, peeking out of her sleeping bag.

"What am I going to do with you guys?!" I groaned. We all laughed.

"Let's go to bed. As it is, we're all going to be really tired in the morning." Heather said. We all nodded and went into our sleeping bags. But I couldn't sleep. All I could think about was Ash. Eventually, I got tired and fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: The Trek through the Valley

"Leela! Leela, wake up!" Someone said and shook me. I groaned.

"Ash . . . TM. . . . Thunderbolt . . ." I said.

"Leela, are you feeling OK?" the voice asked. My eyes snapped open. It was Nikolai!

"Yea . . . . I'm fine . . . . just a dream." I said. But last night wasn't a dream, I was sure of it. It was even more real when I felt Ash's TM in my pocket!

"You sure?" Nik asked, his eyes showing concern.

"Yea." I said and shook my head. Nik and I walked out of the tent.

"Good morning, Leela!" All of my friends called.

"Umm . . . good morning." I said, embarrassed.

"Have a doughnut!" Erin said, handing me a plate of chocolate frosted and powdered sugar doughnuts.

"Where'd you get these?" I asked, taking a chocolate frosted doughnut.

"I found them in my provision bag!" Greenalia said.

"Wow!" I said. I took a bite. "Mmmmmm."

"Umm, guys, if we're going to get through the valley by sun down, we'd better leave." Greenalia said.

"You're right. Let's take down the tents." Garrison said. Where we were done, we put them in a duffel bag.

"Let's go!" I said.

"Let's not go through the tall grass this time. That'll just slow us down." Heather said.

"You're right." I said. We turned down the dirt road. I was very tired.

"Didn't get much sleep last night, huh?" Greenalia asked. I shook my head. We biked for a few more hours before Hannah said,

"I'm really tired. Can we rest?"

"Sure. Let's rest here." Nik said and leaned against a tree. Hannah, Heather, Greenalia, Garrison, and I sat down.

"Can I take a nap?" I asked.

"Yea. We'll wake you up when we're ready to continue." Heather said.

"Thanks." I said. I laid my head on the grass and closed my eyes.

****

"Leela, wake up!" A voice whispered in my ear.

"Ugggh. What?" I asked, slowly opening my eyes. The voice belonged to Hannah.

"Let's GO!!" She said. I stretched and yawned.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked her.

"Oh, not long . . . . maybe thirty minutes." Hannah said.

"Hurry UP! Let's GO!" Nik yelled.

"Coming!" I said. I jumped on my bike. So did everyone else. We started pedaling.

"Look!" Greenalia said, pointing up. We looked up.

"Check it out! Oh, there's the fork in the road. We want to go to the right." Nik said. We biked to the right. As I glanced left, I could've sworn I saw Ash's black hair glint in the sun. I shook my head and told myself not to stay up too late at night.

"Are you feeling OK?" Heather asked me. I nodded.

"All right . . ." Heather said, clearly not believing me. As we biked on, the trees started turning into rock spires.

"Wow!" Nik said, tapping a rock. "This rock looks like a Golem!" The rock growled.

"Umm, Nik, are you SURE that's just a rock?" Erin asked. The Golem opened its red eyes. I screamed. We threw our bikes down and ran down the road, the Golem lumbering after us. Nik threw a quick ball at the Golem.

"Run! I'll be OK if it breaks free! Just run, guys!" Nik cried.

"No. We're staying with you." I said. We watched the quick ball nervously. The ball shook twice, then the Golem broke free!

"RUN!" Greenalia called. We dashed behind a rock spire. The Golem lumbered past us. We stayed there for a few minutes, not daring to breathe.

"Garrison you're crushing me." Heather suddenly said calmly. We all burst out laughing. Garrison gingerly moved away from Heather. Greenalia peered around the rock spire.

"The coast's clear. Come on, guys." She said. We got out from behind the rock.

"Come ON, let's GO!" Greenalia said, walking to get her bike. We followed her, got on our bikes and pedaled off.

"Nik . . . ." I started.

"What?" He asked me, looking at me with puppy-dog eyes.

"Be careful what you touch!" I said, bursting out laughing hysterically. Then, so did everyone else.

"Wait! Stop laughing!" Greenalia said, looking up at the mountains looming up on either side of us.

"Why?" I asked.

"It might trigger an avalanche. Let's hurry; I don't want to spend the night in this valley." Greenalia said.

"Me neither. Let's go." I said. The sun was sinking in the sky, plus I had no lunch, so my stomach was growling. We biked out between the mountains.

"Yes! We're out!" I said. Then I looked ahead of me. There were miles and miles of sand. We were in the Sandslash dessert.

"Let's camp here." Hannah said. Erin looked at the sun.

"We don't even have time to set up tents!" she said. I nodded. Greenalia rummaged through her provision bag.

"Aha! There you are!" She said, triumphantly holding up a bag of candy.

"Can I have some?" We all asked at the same time. Greenalia chuckled.

"Of course!" She said, handing us each a Twix bar and Krackel bar. We said thank you and got out our sleeping bags.

"This isn't the healthiest dinner." Erin said, smiling.

"I know!" I said, taking a bite of my Twix bar.

"Mmmmmm." I said. "Hey, I wonder what pokémon Garrison has?" Heather said.

"Why the sudden interest in Garrison?" I asked teasingly.

"I'm just wondering!" Heather said firmly.

"Let's go ask him!" Erin said.

"Hey, Garrison?" Heather asked.

"Huh?" he asked.

"What pokémon do you have?" I asked.

"Oh! I have a Riolu, a Piplup, a Roselia, a Grimer, a Pidgey, and a Grovyle." Garrison said.

"Omigosh!" Heather said. "Grovyle is my favorite pokémon!"

"Wow, really?" Garrison asked. Heather nodded.

"We'd better settle down. The sun's almost gone!" Greenalia said. I nodded. I finished my Twix bar and opened my Krackel bar. Heather and Erin lay down next to me.

"I can't believe we're on our way to Mukrow City already!" Hannah said.

"Yea. Me neither." I said.

"Are you going to challenge Darkaroe? My friend went to Mukrow City and challenged him, and said he was wicked cute." Hannah said.

"Did your friend win?" Erin asked.

"No." Hannah said. I managed to stifle a giggle.

"What did your friend say he looked like?" I asked.

"Black hair growing over the entire left side of his face, dark blue eyes, and pale skin. She said he looked about fourteen." Hannah said.

"Cool." Heather said.

"Yup!" I said.

"Good night guys!" I heard Greenalia, Garrison, and Nikolai say.

"Good night, guys." We said. We didn't talk until we heard everyone snoring.

"Sooooo, Hezz, what's the REAL reason for the interest in Garrison?" Hannah asked.

"What, you guys think I like him?" Heather asked.

"YES!" Hannah and I said.

"Well, I don't. As a friend, I like him, but not as a boyfriend." Heather said.

"Champion Erik, I challenge you to a battle! Go! Infernape!" A voice called.

"What was that?" I asked. I turned to my right Nik was sitting up!

"What the . . ." Heather said.

"Infernape, Fire Spin!" Nik said.

"Nik, are you awake?" I asked.

"His eyes are closed!" Erin said. My friends and I started laughing hysterically.

"That reminds me of Billy!" Heather said. Billy was Heather's older brother, before he ran off with six of his best pokémon.

"Yea, it does!" I said, laughing.

"We'd better get to sleep! Good-night!" Hannah said.

"Good night!" we said. I pulled my sleeping bag over my head and closed my eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: A Weird Dream

"Leela, wake up! Please wake up!" A voice said.

"Wha- who's there?" I asked, opening my eyes. Ash was leaning over me!

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Beats me!" Ash said. We were on a sandy beach. "Let's explore!"

"Good idea." I said and got up.

"Look at those caves! I wonder if any pokémon live in them?" Ash said. Ash and I walked inside one. A nasal voice called out,

"Human alert! Human alert!" Ash and I covered our ears.

"What's going on?!" I screamed.

"I don't know!" Ash yelled back. Suddenly, the ledgendary pokémon Raikou appeared!

****

"YAAAAAAAAAH!" I screamed, sitting up. I was back in the dessert with all of my friends!!

"What's wrong?!" Erin asked, rushing to my side. I looked around. Everyone was staring at me!

"Umm, good morning everyone . . . I guess I had a nightmare . . . . I can't remember what it was about, though." I said.

"What's for breakfast?"

"More doughnuts!" Greenalia said, grinning. I laughed and took one covered with powdered sugar.

"Thanks!" I said, taking a bite.

"Nik! Did you know you talk in your sleep?" Heather asked.

"What?! What did I say?" He asked urgently.

"Just something about challenging Champion Erik. Why?" I asked. Nik seemed to sigh with relief.

"No reason." He said. Hannah gave me a Look.

"OK, let's get going." I said, packing up my sleeping bag. "I hope we get out of the dessert quickly."

"If we follow the road, it shouldn't take long." Garrison said.

"Follow the yellow brick road!" Hannah said in a high squeaky voice. We laughed hysterically.

"More like follow the yellow sandy road." Nik said. We laughed harder.

"Look! A Cactnea!" I said.

"Cool!" Hannah said.

"Awesome! Wait here, I want to capture it for my Gym! Go! Victreebel!" Greenalia said, throwing a pokéball. Greenalia's Victreebel appeared.

"Victreebel, Sleeping Powder!" Greenalia called. The Victreebel spat out some blue powder and it came down on the Cactnea. Greenalia threw a pokéball at it. The ball sucked it up and held it. The pokéball shook three times, then clicked.

"Yes!" Greenalia said. She reached down and grabbed the pokéball the Cactnea was in.

"Awesome! Now let's get going." Nik said. Greenalia nodded and put the pokéball in her backpack. She patted her Victreebel, recalled it, and put the ball in her bag. She got onto her bike and we rode off.

"It's so hot!" Nik said, mopping his brow.

"Well, it IS a dessert, Nik." Heather said. We all laughed.

"Hey, what's that black fog I see in the distance?" Erin asked. I squinted. Yes, there definantly was a line of dark fog on the horizon.

"That's the Dark Fog Plains!" Greenalia called. I nearly jumped off the seat of my bike.

"Awesome!!" I said. "Let's get there quickly!" Everyone nodded. We biked faster.

"Last one there is a rotten egg!" Erin said and sped ahead of us.

"You're not beating me!!" I giggled and pulled ahead of Erin. Nik was catching up to us.

"Come and get me!" I taunted playfully. Nik laughed and pulled ahead of Erin and I. Suddenly, Nik's front wheel hit a rock.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Nineteen: Mukrow City

"Thanks!" I said.

"You're welcome. We have to get back on patrol. Bye!" Beth said.

"Bye! And thank you!" we said. They went back out into the fog.

"Let's find an inn." Garrison said. I nodded.

"Look! A Snorlax Inn!" Hannah said.

"Pidgey!" Garrison called.

"Staravia!" Nik called.

Garrison's Pidgey and Nikolai's Staravia flew down from the darkening sky with Nik and Garrison's bikes in their claws.

"Lean the bikes against the bike stand!" They both said at the same time.

"_Star!"_ the Staravia said.

"_Pidgey!"_ the Pidgey chirped. They leaned the bikes against the bike stand.

"Thanks, Staravia!" Nik said. He trilled and went into his pokéball. Nikolai leaned down and grabbed it.

"Thank you, Pidgey." Garrison said, looking into the Pidgey's brown eyes. She chirped, then went into her pokéball. Garrison picked up the pokéball and we went inside. I stepped up to the woman at the counter.

"Hello, may I help you?" She asked.

"Can we have two adjoining rooms, please?" I asked.

"Sure. 250 poké points please." The woman said.

"WHAT?! That's for ONE night?!" I asked.

"Actually, that's for two. Most of our guests stay for two nights." She said.

"What's the price for one night?" I asked warily.

"100 poké points." The woman said.

"Let's stay for two nights." Garrison said. "We don't have time to negotiate. Nikolai's starting to get feverish." I winced.

"Two nights, please." I said.

"How many keys?" she asked.

"Two for each room, please." I said. The lady nodded.

"Your room numbers are 114 and 115." She said, handing us four cards. "Breakfast is from 6:30 to 10:30 in the breakfast room. Have a good stay." She said. We handed her 250 poké points and we went down the hall to our rooms.

"We need to find a way to make money. We're going to hit bottom soon!" Garrison said. I nodded glumly.

"Garrison, Nik? Which room do you guys want, 114 or 115?" Hannah asked.

"Let's take a look-see first." Garrison said. Greenalia's face twitched into a smile and put a key into the lock of room 114. I opened the door and held it for my friends.

"This room has two queen beds!" Greenalia said. Nik nodded.

"Let's see the other room." Garrison said. Greenalia opened the door to room 115.

"This one has two twin beds. We'll take this one." Nik said weakly.

"Yea, we're outnumbered; the girls need more space." Garrison said.

"Thanks guys." I said. Garrison let go of Nik and he collapsed on the bed.

"Ugh, my head feels like someone's hitting it with a hammer." He said, running his fingers through his spiky, black hair.

"Have some Advil." Greenalia said, putting a tablet on the nightstand.

"Thanks, Greenalia." Nik said. Garrison got Nik a glass of water and Nikolai swallowed the tablet.

"We'll leave now. You guys need anything; just holler." Greenalia said and walked through the door.

"Good night, Nik and Garrison." We said. When my friends left the room, I leaned over the bed and hugged Nik.

"Feel better, OK?" I whispered in his ear.

"Yea, sure. And don't blame yourself for my accident. I didn't see that rock; it was my fault." Nik said. My eyes filled with tears.

"Thanks Nik. Good night." I said and closed the door.

****

"Why are you crying?" Hannah asked, alarmed.

"I got something in my eye." I sniffed and wiped my eyes.

"Okay." Hannah said, clearly not believing me.

"Who's sleeping with who?" Heather called from the bathroom.

"Umm, I don't know." I said.

"I'll sleep on the floor." Greenalia said.

"Thanks! I'll sleep with Leela." Erin said.

"Sure!" I said. "OK, I'll just sleep with Heather, then." Hannah said.

"Good! Now that we got that all figured out, I'm going to bed. And don't talk too loud!" Greenalia said, winking. I laughed.

"OK!" I said. When we were all in bed, Hannah said,

"Wow, poor Nik." I nodded.

"I hope he feels better in the morning." Erin said.

"Yea, I can't wait to challenge Darkaroe!!" Heather said.

"I know!! I want my second Gym badge!!!!" I said. Heather laughed, then yawned.

"We should go to sleep." Heather said.

"Good night!!" We all said and went to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen: Mukrow City

"Thanks!" I said.

"You're welcome. We have to get back on patrol. Bye!" Beth said.

"Bye! And thank you!" we said. They went back out into the fog.

"Let's find an inn." Garrison said. I nodded.

"Look! A Snorlax Inn!" Hannah said.

"Pidgey!" Garrison called.

"Staravia!" Nik called.

Garrison's Pidgey and Nikolai's Staravia flew down from the darkening sky with Nik and Garrison's bikes in their claws.

"Lean the bikes against the bike stand!" They both said at the same time.

"_Star!"_ the Staravia said.

"_Pidgey!"_ the Pidgey chirped. They leaned the bikes against the bike stand.

"Thanks, Staravia!" Nik said. He trilled and went into his pokéball. Nikolai leaned down and grabbed it.

"Thank you, Pidgey." Garrison said, looking into the Pidgey's brown eyes. She chirped, then went into her pokéball. Garrison picked up the pokéball and we went inside. I stepped up to the woman at the counter.

"Hello, may I help you?" She asked.

"Can we have two adjoining rooms, please?" I asked.

"Sure. 250 poké points please." The woman said.

"WHAT?! That's for ONE night?!" I asked.

"Actually, that's for two. Most of our guests stay for two nights." She said.

"What's the price for one night?" I asked warily.

"100 poké points." The woman said.

"Let's stay for two nights." Garrison said. "We don't have time to negotiate. Nikolai's starting to get feverish." I winced.

"Two nights, please." I said.

"How many keys?" she asked.

"Two for each room, please." I said. The lady nodded.

"Your room numbers are 114 and 115." She said, handing us four cards. "Breakfast is from 6:30 to 10:30 in the breakfast room. Have a good stay." She said. We handed her 250 poké points and we went down the hall to our rooms.

"We need to find a way to make money. We're going to hit bottom soon!" Garrison said. I nodded glumly.

"Garrison, Nik? Which room do you guys want, 114 or 115?" Hannah asked.

"Let's take a look-see first." Garrison said. Greenalia's face twitched into a smile and put a key into the lock of room 114. I opened the door and held it for my friends.

"This room has two queen beds!" Greenalia said. Nik nodded.

"Let's see the other room." Garrison said. Greenalia opened the door to room 115.

"This one has two twin beds. We'll take this one." Nik said weakly.

"Yea, we're outnumbered; the girls need more space." Garrison said.

"Thanks guys." I said. Garrison let go of Nik and he collapsed on the bed.

"Ugh, my head feels like someone's hitting it with a hammer." He said, running his fingers through his spiky, black hair.

"Have some Advil." Greenalia said, putting a tablet on the nightstand.

"Thanks, Greenalia." Nik said. Garrison got Nik a glass of water and Nikolai swallowed the tablet.

"We'll leave now. You guys need anything; just holler." Greenalia said and walked through the door.

"Good night, Nik and Garrison." We said. When my friends left the room, I leaned over the bed and hugged Nik.

"Feel better, OK?" I whispered in his ear.

"Yea, sure. And don't blame yourself for my accident. I didn't see that rock; it was my fault." Nik said. My eyes filled with tears.

"Thanks Nik. Good night." I said and closed the door.

****

"Why are you crying?" Hannah asked, alarmed.

"I got something in my eye." I sniffed and wiped my eyes.

"Okay." Hannah said, clearly not believing me.

"Who's sleeping with who?" Heather called from the bathroom.

"Umm, I don't know." I said.

"I'll sleep on the floor." Greenalia said.

"Thanks! I'll sleep with Leela." Erin said.

"Sure!" I said. "OK, I'll just sleep with Heather, then." Hannah said.

"Good! Now that we got that all figured out, I'm going to bed. And don't talk too loud!" Greenalia said, winking. I laughed.

"OK!" I said. When we were all in bed, Hannah said,

"Wow, poor Nik." I nodded.

"I hope he feels better in the morning." Erin said.

"Yea, I can't wait to challenge Darkaroe!!" Heather said.

"I know!! I want my second Gym badge!!!!" I said. Heather laughed, then yawned.

"We should go to sleep." Heather said.

"Good night!!" We all said and went to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty: Yet Another Weird Dream

I opened my eyes.

"Wha-?" I said.

"I thought you'd never wake up!" I whirled around.

"Ash!" I said.

"Are you OK?" Ash asked.

"I think so . . . . where are we?" I asked.

"Who knows?" Ash said. I started to walk out of the cave, but was stopped by an invisible wall!! I went flying backwards.

"Leela!" Ash cried. I hit the rock floor.

"Are you OK?!" He asked urgently.

"I think so." I said, wincing. Ash helped me up.

"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Ash asked.

"_Mew!"_ something said.

"What was that?" I asked. Ash and I turned around. It was a pink, floating, cat-like pokémon!!!

"Is that . . . ?!" Ash started.

"That's Mew!!!" I said.

"_Mew!"_ Mew said and giggled. It trapped us in a purple bubble.

"What's going on?! Let us out!!" Ash said, pounding on the walls of the bubble.

"Mew!" Mew said softly and put a paw to its mouth. Ash slid to the bottom of the bubble.

"Ash . . ." I started.

"Shhhh! Listen!" Ash whispered. I listened.

"Pokémon calls!" I gasped. "Where's Mew taking us?!"

"I don't know . . . but be prepared." Ash said, grabbing a pokéball from his bag. I nodded and grabbed Thunderbolt's pokéball. Mew gave us a piercing stare. Ash shuddered. I gritted my teeth.

"What are we going to do?" I asked.

"I don't know, but we'll figure something out." Ash said. Suddenly, a loud booming voice called out,

"WHY DO YOU TRESSPASS ON OUR ISLAND?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" The force of the voice sent the bubble Ash and I was in flying. The bubble popped when it hit the wall.

Ash and I tumbled down. Mew quickly made a pink bubble on the floor. I landed softly on the bubble, but Ash went flying over the bubble and hit the cave floor with a sickening crunch.

****

"ASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed, lunging forward. I looked around. I was back in the hotel room. Erin looked at me.

"Leela, are you OK?" she asked quickly.

"Unngh. Just another bad dream, I guess . . . ." I started.

"What was it about?" Erin asked.

"I can't remember." I said, groggily.

"Well, was Ash in it?" Erin asked.

"Yes . . ." I said.

"I kinda figured, since you woke up screaming 'ASH!'" Erin said.

"But that's all I remember." I said.

"Maybe Darkrai is in town?" Erin wondered.

"Maybe . . ." I said.

"Ugh! Why do you guys have to be so loud?!" Greenalia asked, peeking her head out from behind Heather and Hannah's bed.

"Leela had a nightmare." Erin said.

"So that's why I heard someone scream 'ASH!' Did you meet him?" Greenalia asked.

"Sort of. He challenged Leela to a battle." Erin said.

"Did you win?" Greenalia asked me. I shook my head.

"Oh well. He beat me, as well as his friend . . . . for some reason I just can't remember her name . . ." Greenalia said.

"Her name's Dawn." I said.

"That was it!" Greenalia said.

"Who's talking?!" Hannah groaned and opened her eyes.

"Good morning." Erin said pleasantly.

"I heard someone scream 'ASH!'" Hannah said, ignoring Erin.

"I had a nightmare." I said.

"Another one? Maybe Darkrai is in town." Hannah said.

"Maybe . . ." I mumbled.

"What's going on??" Heather groaned, opening her eyes.

"Good morning." Greenalia said.

"We were just talking about Leela's nightmare." Erin said.

"Ohhh, so I didn't dream that I heard her screaming 'ASH!'?" Heather asked. I groaned.

"No, you didn't." Hannah said.

"What was your nightmare about?" Heather asked.

"I don't remember. All I remember is that Ash Ketchum was in it." I said. Then GARRISON opened the door that led to room 115.

"I heard someone scream." Garrison said. "Everyone OK?"

"Yea, I just had a nightmare. Is Nik awake?" I asked.

"Yea. He asked me to check on you." Garrison said.

"Well, I'm fine. How's Nik?" I asked.

"We-e-e-ell, he can walk without support now, but he has a limp." Garrison said.

"That's great!! What about his head and fever?" I said.

"He says his head's still pounding, but it's a lot better, and his fever's back down to normal." Garrison said.

"Awesome!" Heather said. Garrison nodded.

"I'll leave you guys alone now. I'll meet you in the hall at 8:30." He said. "

OK! Bye." Heather said. Garrison nodded and closed the door.

After we were showered and dressed, we walked out of the hotel room. There was Garrison and Nik! I wanted to run to Nik and ask if he was feeling better, but I could tell by the expression on his face.

"Good morning!" I said.

"Good morning!" Garrison and Nik said.

"Feeling better?" Erin asked Nik. He nodded.

"You guys got your pokémon?" Greenalia asked.

"OF COURSE!" We all said.

"OK, OK, just wondering." Greenalia said. We walked to the breakfast room.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One: A Battle Won, A Rival Gained

A girl with brown hair and brown eyes sitting at a table with a few other girls gave me a piercing look. I gulped and tried not to look intimidated. I grabbed a bagel and slathered it with cream cheese. The girl's gaze was still fixed on me.

"What's wrong with her?" Hannah asked, gesturing to the girl. I shrugged. My friends and I sat at a table. The girl that was staring at me got up. She pinched my arm, hard.

"Oh, sorry." She said, clearly not meaning it. I ignored her and took a bite of my bagel.

"How do you DO that?" Nik asked.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Ignore that girl." Nik said. I shrugged.

"Years of practice." I said. The girl walked by me again.

"Did anyone tell you you look really dorky in those glasses? Or maybe you have a terrible sense of style? I can't believe you have any friends." The girl said. It was too much for Nikolai. He shoved away from the table and stood up, ready to defend me.

"Nik, I can handle this." I said to him. I stood up.

"What's your name?" I asked her. She tossed her hair.

"Why should I tell you?" she asked. "Because, I, Leela Locke, am challenging you to a pokémon battle!" I said. She smiled an evil-looking smile.

"This is going to be fun. I'm going to win, of course, but I, Jordan Mikes, will accept your challenge!" The brown-haired girl said.

"Go! Chi-chi!" I called and threw Chi-chi's pokéball. Jordan raised her eyebrows and laughed.

"Chi-chi?! What a stupid name! Go! Rhyhorn!" Jordan called. Chi-chi and Jordan's Rhyhorn appeared.

"Chi-chi, Leaf Blade!" I called. Chi-chi ran towards the Rhyhorn, slashing at it with the leaf growing at the top of her head. The Rhyhorn growled. When Chi-chi backed off, the Rhyhorn was covered in cuts. "Rhyhorn, Earthquake!" Jordan called. The ground began to shake. Chi-chi was struggling to stay on her feet. _Don't faint, don't faint!_ I thought. When the shaking stopped, Chi-chi was standing up!!!

"Chi-chi, Absorb!" I called. Chi-chi closed her eyes. Glowing sparks of light started to fly from the Rhyhorn and going to Chi-chi. The light was healing Chi-chi's wounds!! When it stopped, the Rhyhorn fell over.

"Yea Leela!!!" My friends called. I grinned and hugged Chi-chi. Jordan's face grew red.

"You may have won this round, but not the battle! Go! Solrock!" Jordan called, throwing another pokéball.

"Chi-chi, thank you!" I said. Chi-chi gave a gracious nod and went back into her pokéball. I picked it up and threw Spirit's pokéball.

"Go! Spirit!" I called. Spirit and Jordan's Solrock appeared.

"Solrock, SolarBeam!" Jordan called. A ray of light came down from the ceiling and hit Spirit. Spirit shook herself and turned to me.

"Spirit, Dark Pulse!" I called. Spirit roared and a ring of darkness slammed into the Solrock. It fainted. Nik stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. I grinned. Jordan's face grew even redder. I hugged Spirit.

"I may be down to my last pokémon, but I swear I shall beat you! Go! Torterra!" Jordan called, throwing a pokéball. I gulped. Torterras were extremely strong pokémon.

"Spirit, thank you!" I said. Spirit went in her pokéball. The Torterra appeared. It roared. I gulped.

"Thunderbolt, go!" I called, throwing his pokéball. Thunderbolt appeared.

"Torterra, Bullet Seed!" Jordan called. _Nuts!!_ I thought. The Torterra spat out some rock-hard seeds.

Thunderbolt quickly moved out of the way. The seeds went flying harmlessly past him. _YES!!!_ I thought.

"Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt!" I called. Thunderbolt focused his eyes on the Torterra. A bolt of lightning came down from the ceiling and hit it. The Torterra fainted. _Thank you, Ash_, I thought. Jordan's face grew even redder. She angrily recalled the Torterra.

"We'll cross paths again, Leela Locke, and when we do, you had better WATCH OUT!!!" Jordan screamed and stormed out of the breakfast room, the girls sitting at her table following her.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two: Congratulations and Scolding

"Nice job, Leela!" Erin said. I smiled and hugged Thunderbolt.

"Yea, good job!" Garrison said.

"High-five!" Nik said. I slapped his hand.

"Hey, where'd you get that Thunderbolt TM anyway?" I gulped.

"I found it in some long grass." I lied. Heather looked at me in disbelief. She knew the truth, as did Hannah and Erin. I knew I had some explaining to do when it was just me and Heather.

"Cool! I can't imagine anyone throwing away a Thunderbolt TM, though." Nik said.

"Me neither." I said, feeling horrible.

"That was an awesome battle!" Greenalia said.

"Let's go to the Gym now!" Garrison said.

"You guys go ahead." Heather said, "I'll take Leela to the Pokémon Center."

"OK." I said reluctantly.

"Meet you at the Gym! Bye!" Erin said.

"Bye!" I said. Once they were out of the room, Heather grabbed my shoulders.

"Why did you lie to Nik?" she asked, staring into my eyes.

"Well, what else could I say? 'Oh, Ash gave me this TM when he visited me in the middle of the night.'?!" I said.

"Hmm. You do have a point." Heather said.

"Let's go to the Pokémon Center now." I said.

"OK." Heather said. We walked out of the Snorlax Inn and into the city. "Why'd you lie?" Heather asked me again.

"I don't know. . . . but I can't go back now and say Ash gave me the TM." I said. We walked into a Pokémon Center. I handed my pokéballs to the lady at the counter and sighed. Five minutes later, she handed me back my pokéballs.

"Have a nice day." She said. I nodded and walked out of the Pokémon Center.

"Let's go to the Gym now." Heather said. I nodded. When we got there, my friends were waiting at the door!!

"Thanks for waiting!" I said.

"Hey, no problem!" Nik said. "Let us enter!" Hannah said in a regal voice. We all laughed really loud. _I love my friends_, I thought.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three: Darkaroe

We entered the corridor. A man stepped up to us.

"Wait! This Gym is a little different from the others in the reigon. Darkaroe likes challengers to come in pairs. He loves double battles, so pick a partner." The man said.

"I'll be Leela's partner!" Nik immediately said.

"Sure." I said. "Heather, want to be my partner?" Garrison asked. Heather's eyes widened.

"Sure!" She said eagerly. Hannah and Erin linked arms.

"What about Greenalia?" I asked.

"I'm not taking the challenge. I just want to see Darkaroe." Greenalia said.

"That can be arranged." The man said. "As for the young 'uns taking the challenge, you can go on in."

"OK!" we said. After Nik and I defeated all of the other Trainers, there was a door.

"Darkaroe is probably behind that door. Leela, are you ready for this?" Nikolai asked, staring into my eyes.

"Yes!" I said, meeting his soft gaze.

"Let's go then." He said. He opened the door. The room was pitch-black, with a single spotlight on a boy facing the wall away from us. Nik and I looked at each other. This boy had to be Darkaroe. Nik cleared his throat. Darkaroe turned around. He looked almost exactly how Hannah's friend described him.

"Ah, challengers. What are your names?" Darkaroe asked.

"Leela Locke and Nikolai Fernandez." Nik and I said. Darkaroe nodded.

"I hope you can give me a fun battle! Go! Mightyena and Weavile!" Darkaroe called, standing up and throwing two pokéballs. The Mightyena and Weavile appeared in a flash of light.

"Go! Thunderbolt!" I said, throwing Thunderbolt's pokéball.

"Go! Luxio!" Nikolai cried, throwing a pokéball. His Luxio and Thunderbolt appeared. Darkaroe raised his eyebrows.

"Mightyena, Bite!" Darkaroe called. His Mightyena ran up to Nik's Luxio and bit it. The Luxio hissed.

"Luxio, Spark!" Nik called. Luxio ran up to the Mightyena and zapped it. The Mightyena withered in pain.

"Weavile, Sucker Punch!" Darkaroe called. The Weavile ran to Thunderbolt and punched him. Thunderbolt withered in pain.

"Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt!" I called. Thunderbolt focused his eyes on Weavile. A bolt of lighting came down from the ceiling and hit it. Weavile collapsed and fainted.

"Wow. Your power is impressive. But let's see if your pokémon can handle this! Go! Houndoom!" Darkaroe called, throwing a pokéball. The Houndoom appeared.

"Mightyena, Take Down!" Darkaroe said. The Mightyena ran at Thunderbolt and slashed at him with his claws, bit him, and slammed against him with his body. The Mightyena backed off.

"_Mai . . ."_ Thunderbolt chattered weakly and fell on his side. I winced and recalled him.

"Go! Curly-Q!" I called, throwing Curly-Q's pokéball. Curly-Q appeared.

"Luxio, Thunder Fang!" Nik called. The Luxio ran to the Houndoom and bit his leg. The Houndoom froze. It was paralyzed!

"Curly-Q, Egg Bomb!" I called. Curly-Q threw an egg at the Mightyena. It landed right in front of him. The Mightyena sniffed at the egg. Then the egg blew up right in his face! I barely managed to keep from laughing hysterical.

The Mightyena went flying backwards. When the air cleared, the Mightyena was lying on its side. Darkaroe recalled the Mightyena.

"Hmmm, impressive. But can you handle this? Go! Shiftry!" Darkaroe called and threw a pokéball. The Shiftry appeared.

"Houndoom, Flamethrower!" Darkaroe called. But the Houndoom was still paralyzed!

"Luxio, Crunch!" Nik called. The Luxio ran toward the Shiftry and bit it really hard. The Shiftry howled.

"Curly-Q, Pound!" I called. Curly-Q ran up the Houndoom and viscously attacked it. The Houndoom fell over. Darkaroe winced.

"I see you have me in quite a pickle!" he said. He recalled his Houndoom and called,

"Shiftry, Faint Attack!" A pink ring of light surrounded the Shiftry and it attacked Nik's Luxio with its branch-like arms. The Luxio barely stayed on its feet. Nik looked at me. I looked at him. He smiled.

"Luxio, Thunder Fang!" He called.

"Curly-Q, Egg Bomb!" I called. Luxio went up first, biting the Shiftry and paralyzing it. Then, when the Luxio was out of the way, Curly-Q threw an egg at the Shiftry. The egg exploded, and the Shiftry fainted.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four: Lunch With Darkaroe

Yea!" I said, holding my hand up. "Give me a high five!" Nik grinned and slapped my hand. Darkaroe nodded and recalled Shiftry.

"That battle was the most fun I've had in a long time. Your teamwork was amazing. With that in mind, I present to you both the Night Badge!" Darkaroe said, handing us each a Night Badge.

"Awesome!" Nik said. We stuck them in our Trainer cases.

"Thank you!" we said.

"No, thank you." Darkaroe said. We grinned.

"How do we get back to the entrance?" I asked.

"Take that path right there." Darkaroe said, pointing to a lighted path. We bid good-bye to Darkaroe and headed down the path. We followed it out into the entrance corridor. Greenalia was there, sitting in a chair and reading Pokémon Tribune.

"Greenalia!" I said. She looked up.

"Did you beat him?" She asked us.

"Yes!" Nik and I said triumphantly.

"Awesome!!" Greenalia said.

"Can we take a quick run to the Pokémon Center? Our pokémon are exhausted." Nik asked.

"Just do it quickly." Greenalia said.

"Race ya!" I said and dashed out the door, Nik on my heels. We ran through the streets. I spotted a Pokémon Center. I ran through the door first. Nik came in right behind me.

"I won!" I said. Nik laughed.

"Yup." He said. We went to the counter and handed our pokéballs to the woman at the counter.

"Challenged Darkaroe?" the lady asked. We nodded.

"Good for you." She said. She handed our pokéballs back.

"Have a nice day." She said. We nodded and walked out of the Pokémon Center.

"What time is it?" Nikolai asked.

"Noon." I said, looking at my watch.

"Let's eat soon. I'm really hungry." Nik said.

"Me too." I said. Suddenly, Nik started to run.

"You sneak!!" I yelled, laughing. I tore after him. Before long, I had caught up to him.

"Oh come ON!!" Nik said. I laughed and pulled ahead of him. I spotted the Gym. I ran through the door, Nik right after me. Heather, Garrison, and Greenalia were sitting in the entrance.

"Hey . . . guys . . ." Nik said, panting.

"Wow, you're feeling better." Garrison said as-a-matter-of-factly. Nikolai slightly colored.

"Guess so." He said.

"Did you guys win against Darkaroe?" I asked. Heather nodded.

"It was really awesome." She said.

"Heather has the COOLEST pokémon . . . ." Garrison started. Heather playfully whacked him with her jacket.

"Stop it!" she said, her grin a mile wide. I smiled. Just then, Hannah came out of the corridor, dragging Erin behind her, who had a dreamy expression on her face.

"Did you guys win?" Heather asked.

"Yes. It was really close, but we won." Hannah said.

"Ummm, Erin are you OK?" I asked.

"Never better!" Erin said, giggling.

"Okay . . ." I said slowly.

"Greenalia, you wanted to see Darkaroe?" The man asked, coming down the lighted corridor.

"Yes." Greenalia said.

"Well, he's ready for you." The man said.

"Great!" Greenalia said. She followed the man down the corridor. We followed her. Darkaroe was sitting right where we was when we first met him.

"D!" Greenalia called.

"G? Is that you?!" Darkaroe asked, swiftly turning around. Greenalia nodded. They embraced each other.

"What are you doing here?!" Darkaroe asked, pulling away.

"I decided to take a vacation with my new friends. And when I learned we were going to Mukrow City, I just had to visit my younger brother!" Greenalia said.

"YOUNGER BROTHER?!" We said in disbelief. "But you two look so different!"

"Well, step-brother." Darkaroe said.

"Ohhh." We said.

"So who's in charge of the Gremlin Gym right now?" Darkaroe asked.

"Fern Whiffledame." Greenalia said.

"Hmm. Well, I'm really glad you're here." Darkaroe said.

"Me too. Hey, how about we have lunch together? I'd love for you to learn about my new friends!" Greenalia said.

"Of course!" Darkaroe said. We walked out of the Gym.

"Where are we going?" Greenalia said.

"Follow me. I know exactly the place." Darkaroe said. We followed him through the winding streets. We went inside a building called The Absol Buffet. After we were seated, Darkaroe said,

"Hey . . . Leela, was it?"

"You got it right." I said.

"Did you know you're on the front page of the Mothemm Gazette?" Darkaroe asked.

"WHAT?!" I asked.

"Yea. They got all of the details on your battle with Ash Ketchum. I must say, I was looking forward to you showing up at my Gym." Darkaroe said. I smiled.

"Thanks." I said.

"Don't mention it. Hey, Erin?" Darkaroe asked.

"Huh, what?" Erin asked shyly.

"I could really feel your power emanating from you during our battle . . . . . your pokémon really like you." Darkaroe said. Erin blushed and looked down at the ground.

"Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome." Darkaroe said and winked at Erin, making her turn even redder. Hannah, Heather, and I exchanged Looks. Just then, a lady came by.

"Hello. I'm your waitress, Katy. What would you like?" she asked.

"I'll have a milkshake, please." Darkaroe said.

"I'll have milk, please." Erin said.

"I'll have lemonade." I said.

"I'll have chocolate milk, please." Hannah said.

"I'll have fruit punch, please." Heather said.

"I'll have the Bulbasaur float, please." Greenalia said.

"Be right back with those." Katy said and dashed off.

"So, G, how are your pokémon?" Darkaroe asked.

"They're good. I caught a Cactnea on the way here." Greenalia said.

"That's great! Where?" Darkaroe asked.

"In the Sandslash dessert." Greenalia said.

"That's nice." Darkaroe said. "Do you hear what's been happening to the Cactnea?"

"What?" I asked.

"They've been disappearing." Darkaroe said.

"WHAT?!" We asked in surprise.

"What do you mean, disappearing?" Nik asked.

"They're disappearing from the wild." Darkaroe said.

"Don't Trainers capture them?" Heather asked.

"Of course. But they're disappearing faster than normal, and they don't have time to reproduce." Darkaroe said.

"That's awful!" Erin exclaimed.

"What about the other regions? Are Cactnea disappearing from there too?" Garrison asked.

"Yes. The professors from each reigon are meeting up to see what can be done." Darkaroe said.

"Whoa." I said.

"So it's a global problem?" Greenalia asked. Darkaroe nodded.

"Professor Maple even thinks they might become extinct!"

"EXTINCT?!" we asked. Darkaroe nodded.

"Sad but true." He said.

"But there must be something we can do to help them! I mean, couldn't we, like set up private breeding programs or get the authorities looking for criminals that could be causing this, or . . ." Heather said.

"Here are your drinks!" Katy said cheerfully. She handed out our cups and took our orders.

"What about Cactrines? Are a sudden burst of Cactnea evolving?" Greenalia asked once Katy was gone.

"Cactrines are disappearing too." Darkaroe said grimly.

"Wow . . . .that's awful." Hannah said.

"I know. I hope something can be done about it." Darkaroe said.

"Are there any other pokémon species disappearing?" I asked.

"Well, there is a rumor that Pachirisu numbers have fallen, but I don't believe it." Darkaroe said strongly.

"Hmmm. Maybe a team of criminals are behind this? Like Team Rocket or Team Galactic?" Greenalia said.

"If there is, I have no idea what they are doing with Cactnea and Cactrines." Darkaroe said.

"I don't know either. They're not really very strong pokémon." Heather said. Darkaroe nodded.

"That's why the professors are so puzzled." He said.

"I know!" Hannah said.

"What?" we asked.

"Some magical sprites flew them to a world of magic and wonder!" Hannah said in a high squeaky voice. We laughed.

"Here are your dishes! If you need anything, just holler." Katy said, putting a plate in front of each of us. Then she dashed off. After we had eaten, Darkaroe stood up.

"Thanks for such a great lunch. I wish I could stay longer, but I have to go back to my Gym. It was a pleasure meeting you all." He said, winking at Erin. Then he dashed out the door.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five: An Encounter with Mew

"Whoa." Erin said, looking longingly after him. Greenalia and I exchanged a Look.

"Well, we should probably head out too. We can explore the city!!!" Heather said.

"Sounds fun. Let's go!!" Hannah said. We thanked our waitress, thanked her for the meal, paid for it, and then walked out of the restaurant.

"Where should we go?" Hannah asked.

"Let's go this way!" Heather said, pointing to the left.

"Whatever you say." Garrison said, grinning. Heather's eyes widened. She smiled and took off, running to the left. Garrison took off after her.

"Where are they going?" I asked.

"I don't know; let's follow them!!" Erin said. We dashed after them. I felt a soft breeze on my neck. I looked up.

"Guys, LOOK!" I screamed, pointing upwards.

"What?" they asked. But the pokémon I had seen in the sky had gone.

"What'd you see?" Nik asked me. I took my glasses off and rubbed them on my shirt.

"I could've sworn I saw Ho-Oh . . . ." I said.

"What, here?" Heather asked.

"Maybe it was an illusion." Erin said.

"Probably." I said.

"You know, Ash Ketchum saw Ho-Oh when he started his pokémon journey. Maybe you'll be a great Trainer like him!" Nikolai said. I grinned.

"Thanks, Nik." I said.

"Check this out!" Heather said, pointing at the Darkrai Tower.

"We can go up it?" Hannah said, reading the sign.

"How much money does it cost?" Greenalia asked.

"Nothing!" Hannah said triumphantly.

"Wha-nothing?!" Garrison asked.

"Read the sign for yourself." Hannah said.

"She's right. Let's go!" Garrison said. We ran into the tower.

"Whoa!" I said.

"Let's release our favorite pokémon!! They might want to see this!" Erin said.

"Good idea." I said. Nikolai released his Chimchar, Heather released her Treecko, Erin released her Absol, Magic, Hannah released her Chingling, Bell, Garrison released his Piplup and Greenalia released her Ivysaur. I released Thunderbolt.

"_Mai maiiii!" _Thunderbolt chattered.

"_Pip!"_ Garrison's Piplup said. "Let's go in the elevator!" Heather said.

"_Tree!"_ Heather's Treecko said. We got inside the elevator. "We want to go to the observation deck." Erin said, pressing a button labeled OD.

"_Mai!"_ Thunderbolt said as the elevator went up. I laughed. The doors slid open.

"_Tree?"_ Heather's Treecko said and dashed off.

"Treecko! Get back here!" Heather called, dashing out of the elevator. We all got out of the elevator.

"How come no one's here?" Garrison asked.

"_Pip!"_ Piplup said and clung to Garrison's leg.

"Who cares! We have this whole place to ourselves!" Hannah said.

"_Chingling!"_ Bell said and hopped onto Hannah's shoulder.

"Something makes me feel a little uneasy about this . . .this place should be crowded! This is a TOURIST spot, for Suicune's sake!" I said and picked up Thunderbolt. Then he hopped on my shoulder.

"Can SOMEONE help me?!" Heather asked, still chasing her Treecko.

"_Pip!"_ Piplup said. Treecko turned around.

"_Tree!"_ she said.

"_Piplup!" _Piplup said, holding out a flipper.

"_Treecko!"_ Treecko said, shaking Piplup's flipper. Piplup puffed out his chest and Treecko fluttered her eyelashes. I laughed.

"Gotcha!" Heather said and pulled Treecko away from Piplup.

"_Tree!"_ Treecko protested. I felt a slight breeze on my face. I walked to the railing.

"Whoa! Guys, look!" I said. Everyone dashed to me.

"Awesome!" Heather said.

"_Absol."_ Magic chattered softly.

"_SAUR!"_ Greenalia's Ivysaur yelled.

"What's wrong, Ivysaur?" Greenalia asked, running to her Ivysaur.

"_Ivysaur." _Ivysaur said, a mournful look in his eyes.

"_Mew!"_ I heard something say. I whirled around. Standing next to Erin was . . . . .Mew!

"MEW?!" I screamed.

"Mew?" Erin asked.

"_Mai!"_ Thunderbolt said.

"Don't you see it? It's right next to you!" I said. Erin looked straight into Mew's eyes.

"I don't see anything." Erin said.

"DON'T YOU SEE IT?! IT'S RIGHT THERE!!" I said. Mew giggled. It flew away from Erin. Suddenly, I remember all of the dreams I had.

"Leela, are you feeling OK?" I heard Nik say. But his voice sounded distant. Mew's eyes met mine. I tried to pull my gaze away, but I couldn't.

****

In Mew's eyes I saw my friends and I standing next to a black-and-purple vortex.

"_What's going on?!"_ I heard Nik scream. Except . . .I didn't actually hear it. _Mew was sending thoughts directly into my brain!!!_

"_I don't know!"_ the me in Mew's eye screamed. Suddenly, the vortex swallowed us all up! The image in Mew's eyes disappeared.

"_Mew!" _Mew said. The world spun. And then everything went black.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six: Dr. Petunia

"Unngh . . . . . what . . . . happened . .?" I groaned, slowly opening my eyes.

"Leela! You're awake!" Erin said.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"In our hotel room." Hannah said.

"_Minuuuuuuuuuuuun!" _I heard Thunderbolt squeak. He jumped into my arms.

"Thunderbolt!" I laughed, squeezing him.

"Well, at least you haven't forgotten who we are." Greenalia said.

"Who are you?" I asked Greenalia teasingly, sitting up.

"Very funny." Greenalia huffed.

"How'd I get here?" I asked.

"Nik carried you." Heather said casually.

"WHAT?!" I asked.

"You DO remember who he is, right?" Heather asked. I snorted.

"Of course I remember." I said. "Speaking of him, where is he?"

"In the other room, probably." Hannah said. Just then, the door burst open. Nik was standing in the doorway.

"Lee!" he said, hugging me. "You're awake!" I hugged him back. Thunderbolt let out a little zap to let us know we were crushing him. I laughed and let go of Nik.

"_Mai!"_ Thunderbolt said, shaking himself. Then I noticed everyone staring at us, even Garrison, who was standing in the doorway next to Heather.

"Sooooo, Leela, do you remember anything about today?" Garrison asked.

"I remember waking up screaming 'ASH!', battling Jordan, defeating Darkaroe, having lunch with him, going to see the Darkrai Tower, and Greenalia's Ivysaur acting weird, but there the memory stops." I said.

"Do you remember seeing Ho-Oh?" Nik asked.

"Of course!" I said.

"What about seeing Mew?" Erin asked.

"Seeing Mew?" I asked.

"Yea, you screamed 'MEW?!' and you said it was right there next to me. Then you stared into space for a few minutes and then you passed out." Erin said.

"I did?" I asked, confused.

"You mean, you don't remember?!" Heather asked. I shook my head.

"I don't remember any of it." I said.

"_Mai!"_ Thunderbolt said.

"Seriously, you don't remember??" Nik asked.

"No!" I said.

"That's really weird." Heather said.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"At least three hours." Erin said.

"THREE HOURS?!" I asked.

"Yea." Hannah said.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"6:00." Garrison said.

"Whoa." I said. I got out of bed.

"Oh!" I said and quickly lay back down.

"What?" Nik asked concern in his eyes.

"My head." I groaned.

"What about it?" Greenalia asked.

"It hurts!!" I said. "Seriously, it's throbbing." Greenalia handed me some pills. I popped them in my mouth. Hannah handed me a glass of water and I swallowed.

"Do you think I have to go to the hospital?" I asked.

"What, your headaches that bad?" Hannah asked. I laughed.

"No, it's just . . . if I forgot what happened back there . . . . and I saw Mew but no one else could . . . . there could be something really wrong with me." I said.

"Let's go then. I know a doctor in this city where you pay what you can afford. She had a PhD." Greenalia said.

"Let's go then." Heather said. I gingerly got up. My headache hit me again, but not as hard as before. We walked for five minutes until we stopped in front of a tall brick building.

"This is it." Greenalia said. We went inside. There was a sign that said:

Out of courtesy, we ask that you please keep your pokémon in their pokéballs. Thank you.

~Dr. Petunia, PhD

I sighed and recalled Thunderbolt.

"May I help you?" A lady asked us.

"Umm, yes. I'm an old friend of Dr. Petunia, and I need her to check out my friend here." Greenalia said.

"Which one?" the lady asked.

"The one with the glasses." Greenalia said.

"What's your name?" The lady asked.

"Leela Locke." I said.

"I'm Dr. Walrezac. Follow me." the lady said. After we went into a room and Dr. Walrezac checked my eyesight, temperature, weight and height, she said,

"OK. Dr. Petunia will be with you in a few minutes." Then she left the room.

"How's your head?" Greenalia asked.

"Better." I said. Suddenly, a woman with light brown hair, hazel eyes, and silver rectangle glasses walked into the room.

"Greenalia!" the woman said.

"Dr. Petunia!" Greenalia said. They hugged each other.

"How've you been?" Dr. Petunia asked.

"Great." Greenalia said.

"So, who's the lucky person to get checked out today?" Dr. Petunia asked.

"I am." I said. "I'm Leela."

"So, Leela, what's been going on?" she asked. I gave her a quick summary of what had happened. After she checked me out, she said,

"I can't find a thing wrong with her. She seems like a perfectly healthy 12-year-old girl."

"Are you sure?" Nik asked.

"Absolutely." Dr. Petunia said.

"Well, thank you." Greenalia said. She gave Dr. Petunia 25 poké points and we left.

"That is just really weird." Heather said.

"I know." I said.

"Well, if nothing's wrong, that's good." Erin said.

"Yea, it is." Hannah said. We walked in silence the rest of the way to the hotel. When we got there, Nik asked,

"What time is it?"

"7:00." I said, looking at my watch.

"Wow." He said. I lay down on my bed.

"Headache?" Greenalia asked.

"No, just really, really, tired." I said.

"Tired?" Erin asked. "You just spent half the afternoon out cold!" I shrugged.

"I dunno. I'm just really tired." I said.

"Weird." Hannah said.

"Well, if you want to go to sleep, you can." Heather said.

"Thanks." I said. I got up and got ready for bed. "Good night everyone." I said, getting under the covers.

"Good night, Leela." My friends said. I smiled and closed my eyes.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Third Bad Dream in a Row . . .

"Leela!!! Wake up!" someone said. I opened my eyes.

"Ash?" I asked.

"Look out!" He screamed and pushed me to the side. I rolled over. If I hadn't moved, Dialga's huge foot would've crushed me. I took a quick look around. All of the different legendary pokémon I had ever heard about were battling each other in this huge cave.

"Yagh!" I screamed. The cave ceiling was caving in!

"Let's get out of here!" Ash yelled. He grabbed my hand and we ran toward the exit. Suddenly, a psychic blast from Mesprit hit me.

"Unngh!" I groaned. I flew across the room.

"Leela!" I heard Ash scream before I hit the cave wall.

****

"AHHHHHHH!!!" I screamed and lunged forward.

"What? Another bad dream?" A voice to my left asked. I quickly turned around.

"Heather!" I said. "Yes."

"Anyway, are you feeling better?" Greenalia asked.

"Why are you guys wearing your swimsuits?" I asked.

"The pool's open!" Heather said.

"Where's Erin and Hannah?" I asked.

"Right here!" they said. They were also wearing their swimsuits, and each munching on a powdered doughnut. I got up and rummaged through my bag until I found my swimsuit. I ran through the closet and quickly changed. On the way out of the room, I grabbed a doughnut and ate it on the way to the pool. Nik and Garrison were already in the pool.

"Hey guys! Good morning!" I called. Nik whirled around in the water.

"Good morning! How are you feeling?" Nik asked.

"I'm fine." I said.

"How's the water?" Heather asked.

"Great!" Garrison said. I sneaked away from my friends and toward the diving board.

"Cannonball!!!!" I yelled and jumped into the pool. I hit the water with a huge splash. I came up to the surface laughing.

"Leela! Now I'm all wet!" Hannah complained.

"Well, you were going to get wet anyway." I said. Hannah laughed and jumped into the pool. Then Erin got wet, and you probably know what happens next. When we all were in the pool, Erin said,

"Hey, let's play Marco Polo!"

"Who's Marco?" I asked.

"I am! Marco!" Nikolai said, closing his eyes. We laughed.

"Polo!" We called. Nik grinned and walked in my direction.

"Marco!" Nik called out again.

"Polo!" We called. Nik reached out and grabbed my wrist.

"Gotcha!" he said, opening his eyes.

"Nuts!" I said and closed my eyes.

"Marco!" I called, holding my hands out like a zombie.

"Polo!" Everyone called. I lunged forward and grabbed someone's shoulder. I opened my eyes. It was Erin.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"9:00." I said, looking at my waterproof watch.

"The spell of Unown!" Nik exclaimed, slapping his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Greenalia asked.

"We have to be out of here by 10:00." Nik said.

"Shoot! We'd better get out of here then." Heather said. We nodded and ran out. After we were all showered, dressed, and packed up, we turned in our room keys and got on our bikes.

"Where are we going now? Amazon Town or Chargeaton City?" Garrison asked.

"Uh . . . let's go to Chargeaton City on the way back." I said.

"OK." My friends said. The minute we were out of Mukrow City's limits, the black fog engulfed us again.

"How are we going to see through this?" Erin asked. Hannah pressed the button on a pokéball. Ruby appeared.

"Ruby, Flash!" Hannah commanded. Ruby let out a blast of light that cut through the black fog.

"Awesome!" Heather said. We biked through the path of light. We biked a few hours before we finally got out of the Dark Fog Plains.

"Whew! I'm glad we're out of there." Greenalia said.

"Me too." I said. When I looked ahead, there was the Amazon Great Swamp.

"Let's go!" Erin said eagerly. So we biked into the swamp.

"Ah!!!" Greenalia called.

"What?" We asked, turning around. Greenalia's front wheel was sinking in a pool of mud!


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Ash and Friends

Greenalia quickly jumped off her bike and grabbed the handlebars, trying to pull out her bike. Suddenly, a flash of brown flew fast us and pulled Greenalia's bike out of the mud.

"BROCK?!" We called in disbelief.

"You betta believe it!" Brock said, winking at Greenalia, making her blush crimson. Ash with Pikachu on his shoulder and Dawn came running.

"Brock, where are you- oh! Hi guys!" Ash said.

"What are you doing here?!" I asked, running over to them.

"Oh, you know, defeating Gym leaders and stuff." Dawn said. "What about you?"

"Pretty much same as you." I said.

"Nice." Dawn said.

"Which cities have you been to?" I asked.

"You could say we're just starting out." Ash said, proudly displaying his Trainer case. I could see the Ocean badge, the Garden badge, and the Night badge.

"Wow." I said, staring at his badges from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh.

"_Pika!!"_ Pikachu said.

"Umm, guys, if we want to make Amazon Town by nightfall, we should probably get going." Greenalia said.

"Why don't we come with you?" Ash asked.

"REALLY???" I asked.

"Well, we are going to the same place anyway." Ash said.

"And I'd love to spend some more time with this cute Gym leader . . . Ooof!" Brock said, his Croagunk suddenly appearing and punching him in the gut. I barely kept from bursting out laughing. All of the rumors I'd heard about him were true!

"Ow ow owowow!!" Brock yelled, his Croagunk pulling him away from Greenalia by the ear, a huge grin on his face.

I looked at my friends. They all looked like they were in pain from trying not to laugh, except for Greenalia, who had this shocked expression on her face.

"Well, let's go!" Dawn said. She and Ash walked down the road.

"Croagunk, back in your pokéball!!!" Brock said angrily. Croagunk reluctantly went back in his pokéball. Then Brock ran to keep up with us.

"Don't you guys have bikes?" Heather asked.

"Yea, we just prefer to walk." Dawn said.

"Wait a second . . . Leela, you never really properly introduced us to your friends!" Brock said. So I introduced them.

"Great to meet you." Ash said.

"_Pika!"_ Pikachu agreed. Nikolai slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Um guys, we should get going." Greenalia said.

"Of course, cutie." Brock said. Greenalia blushed. His Croagunk appeared again and slapped him in the face.

"Let's get going. Brock'll catch up." Ash whispered in my ear. I grinned.

"Get back in your pokéball!" Brock said, his face growing red.

"_Croagunk!!"_ Croagunk complained. But he went back in his pokéball.

"_Pika!"_ Pikachu said, suddenly jumping off Ash's shoulder and running in front of the group, electricity coming out of his cheeks.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"_Wobbuffet!"_ something croaked.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Get back in your pokéball! Now!" A young woman's voice hissed.

"That's Jessie! Run, guys!" Ash yelled.

"_Meowth!_ They're getting away!!" I didn't need to turn around to know that voice. It was Team Rocket's Meowth!


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Team Rocket

"Meowth! You blew our cover!" James's voice called.

"It wasn't me, it was Jessie's stupid Wobbuffet!!" Meowth called.

"Quit arguing! Come on, run faster!" Jessie said.

"Oh Arceus, they're all here?!" Brock said, panting.

"That's right! Prepare for trouble . . . ." Jessie said, suddenly popping ahead of us.

"Make it double . . . ." James said, appearing next to Jessie.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"_Meowth_, dat's right!" Meowth said, appearing in front of Jessie and James.

"Nuts . . . ." I said.

"_Pikachuuuuu!"_ Pikachu chattered angrily. He zapped Jessie, James, and Meowth. They went flying off the road.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" They called.

"_Wobbuffet!!!!"_ Jessie's Wobbuffet screamed as it was coming out of its pokéball.

"Nice job, Pikachu!" Ash said, holding out his arms. Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms.

"That won't hold them off for long. Let's go!" Brock said.

"Once we're inside the town, we should be OK." Dawn said. We took off. The town got closer and closer.

"Wha- is that a CHRISTMAS TREE?!" Garrison asked.

"It looks like it." Ash said, squinting.

"What's it doing there?" Erin asked. "It's the beginning of November!"

"Christmas is a month away." Heather said.

"Will you guys be going home for Christmas?" Nik asked.

"We might. Haven't planned that far yet." Ash said. Nik nodded.

"OK! We're in the town limits. Now we just have to figure out where to stay." Brock said.

"Yea. Somewhere cheap." I added.

"What about here?" Dawn asked, pointing to a nice-looking building.

"_Pika!"_ Pikachu said.

"Sure." I said. We leaned our bikes against the bike stand and we walked inside. Ash walked up to the counter.

"Well, well, if it isn't Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. How may I help you?" The woman at the desk asked.

"I need three adjoining rooms, please." Ash said.

"How many nights?" the woman asked.

"One." Ash said.

"75 poké points please." The woman said. Ash handed them over.

"Thanks." I said to him.

"No problem!" he said, giving me a smile. My heart rate sped up.

"_Pikachu!!" _Pikachu squeaked.

"Your room numbers are 124, 125, and 126." The lady said, handing us the room keys.

"Thanks." Ash said, taking the keys and giving them to me. We walked down the hall.

"We should have four of us stay in two rooms and the two other people stay in the other one." Erin said.

"Good idea. All of us boys should stay in one." Ash said.

"Good idea. Dawn and I can stay in one room." Greenalia said.

"And Hannah, Erin, Heather, and I can stay in one!! That works." I said. I opened the door to room 124.

"Nice." Nik said. Brock nodded.

"Let's stay in this one." He said. I tossed Ash the key to room 124.

"Nice catch!" Brock said, winking at Greenalia. Just then, Croagunk appeared AGAIN and punched Brock in the stomach.

"You little . . ." Brock started. We left the room.

"This one's nice." I said, looking around room 125.

"Yea. Let's stay in this one." Hannah said.

"Guess we're stuck with room 126. Come on, ummmm . . . ." Greenalia started.

"Dawn." Dawn said. Greenalia snapped her fingers.

"Right . . . . I knew that." She said. I tossed Greenalia the room 126 key and she and Dawn disappeared.

"Great catch . . . oof!" Hannah said, imitating Brock. We all burst out laughing.

"Hey guys!" Greenalia said, bursting the door open. We forced ourselves to stop laughing and asked,

"What?"

"All of the cooking stuff is in our room! Who's hungry?" Greenalia asked.

"I think we all are." Brock said, bursting open the other door.

"Well, I definantly am!" Ash said, appearing next to Brock in the doorway.

"_Pika pika!!"_ Pikachu said.

"I'm going to make dinner, then." Greenalia said.

"I'm helping you!" Brock said. Greenalia raised and eyebrow.

"Okay." She said. Brock ran into Dawn and Greenalia's room. Dawn came out of the door and the door closed.

"They kicked me out. Do you think it's safe to leave those two alone together?" Dawn said once all of the boys were out of the room.

"Let's listen!" Hannah said, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

"Okay!" we said and pressed our ears against the wall.

"What are we going to make?" Greenalia's voice asked.

"What's our ingredients?" Brock asked.

"Well, I have a few boxes of macaroni and cheese, a bag of candy, some dried berries, some peas, some tomatoes, and some doughnuts, but Leela might get mad if we use the doughnuts." Greenalia said. Brock laughed.

"Ash might get mad too. I've got a few sticks of celery, a few carrots, and some salt." Brock said.

"Let's try making a soup." Greenalia said.

"OK. Let's use the peas, tomatoes, celery, carrots, and the pasta from your macaroni and cheese boxes." Brock said.

"Why don't we use the cheese too? We can put it in a saltshaker for people who want to sprinkle it on the soup." Greenalia said.

"Great idea. You're just as smart as you are beautiful." Brock said.

"T-thank you." Greenalia said.

"I'll bet my life she's blushing." Heather said, giggling.

"Shhhh!" I said.

"You're welcome." Brock said.

"Let's boil some water." I heard some banging and then a trickling sound. We all burst out in giggles.

"SHHH!" I said again.

"I'll peel the tomatoes." Greenalia's voice said. Dawn sighed and pulled her ear away from the wall.

"I don't think anything interesting is going to happen anytime soon. Let's play with our pokémon." Dawn said.

"OK!" I said. I released Swordsman and Thunderbolt. Hannah released Bell and Ruby, Erin released Magic and Balloon, Heather released Treecko and Mudkip, and Dawn released her Piplup and Buneary.

"Those are some nice pokémon, Erin." Dawn said. Erin smiled and scratches Magic's chin.

"_Pikachu!"_ Pikachu said and burst into the room.

"Pikachu!" Ash said and entered after him.

"Hi!" I said and laughed. _"Mai!"_ Thunderbolt said. Suddenly, Greenalia opened the door.

"Hiya! Dinner's ready!" she said.

"Great!" Ash said and we walked into Greenalia and Dawn's room.

"Dig in!!" Brock said.

"This is really good!!" Ash said.

"_Pikachu!"_ Pikachu said.

"Cheese anyone?" Brock asked, holding up a saltshaker filled with cheese and winking at Greenalia. Suddenly, Croagunk appeared and punched Brock, making him fall to the ground. The saltshaker landed neatly on the table. I barley managed to keep from bursting out laughing hysterical. Ash took the shaker and shook it over his soup. Brock sat up, rubbing his head.

"Don't do that again." Brock said severely. Croagunk gave Brock a Face and went down to sit next to Greenalia's Leafeon. After we were finished eating, Ash asked,

"What time is it?"

"9:00." I said.

"Greenalia and I can clean up. You guys go to bed." Dawn said.

"Thanks Dawn." Ash said. We left Greenalia and Dawn's room.

"Good night!" We said.

"Good night!" the boys said and went into their room. After we were ready for bed, we opened the door to room 126.

"Good night!" We said.

"Good night!" Greenalia and Dawn said. I closed the door and we got into bed.

"Hey Leela?" Hannah asked.

"Yea?" I asked.

"What's the deal when you woke up screaming this morning? Did you have another nightmare?" Hannah asked.

"I guess . . . . I don't remember what it was about, though." I said.

"Well, I was talking to Brock earlier today and it seems Ash has been having nightmares too!!!" Hannah said.

"WHAT?????" We asked.

"Yea. Brock said he was even waking up screaming like you." Hannah said.

"That's weird." Erin said.

"Does he remember the dreams?" Heather asked.

"No. Brock said that last night Ash woke up screaming 'LEELA!' and all he remembered was that you were in it." Hannah said, pointing at me.

"But . . . . that's just like what happened two nights ago!!!" I said.

"I know!! It's all real weird!" Hannah said.

"Maybe the dreams are trying to tell you and Ash something. Maybe some legendary pokémon sent them and they're trying to tell you about something important." Erin said.

"Maybe . . . . but if they were sent by some legendary pokémon . . . . . shouldn't they make it so that we can REMEMBER the dream?" I wondered.

"Hmmm. Good point." Erin said.

"Maybe it's the doughnuts." Heather joked.

"Maybe it's continually skipping lunch." I said.

"You sound like Ash!!" Hannah said, bursting out laughing hysterically. We laughed with her.

"Speaking of Ash, do you still like him?" Heather asked.

"What do you think?" I asked. Grins spread across my friend's faces.

"YES!" They roared.

"SHH! The boys might be eavesdropping!" I hissed.

"Arceus! I never thought of that!!!" Heather said. We all burst out laughing.

"Let's go to bed." Erin said.

"Whaaaat? Right when we were having so much fun?" I asked. We laughed.

"Well, it IS late." Erin pointed out.

"You're right; it's 10:00." I said, looking at my watch.

"WHAT? I knew it was late, but I didn't think it was THAT late!" Hannah said. We laughed.

"If we're going to challenge Poisenia tomorrow, we should get some rest." Heather said.

"Yea. Good night guys." Hannah said.

"Good night." We said. I got under the covers. I was afraid to go to sleep because, what if I had another nightmare?? But eventually I fell asleep.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty: A Warning

"Unngh." I groaned and opened my eyes. Mew was hovering over me.

"_Mew!"_ it said.

"Ahhh!" I said. Mew put a finger to its lips. I looked around. I was in a gray room _with no windows or doors. _

"How did I get here?" I wondered aloud.

"_Mew!"_ Mew said and reached into the pocket of my jeans.

"Hey!" I said. Mew took out a school photo I had taken along. Mew pointed to my friends, then made a x gesture over their faces.

"What are you trying to tell me?" I asked. Mew made the x gesture again.

"I don't get it." I said bluntly.

"Mew's trying to tell you that your friends are in danger." A deep voice behind me said. I whirled around. It was a tall purple pokémon that looked a little like Mew.

"I am Mewtwo." The pokémon said.

"My friends . . . . what do you mean?" I asked.

"Your friends Nikolai, Hannah, Erin, Heather, Garrison, Dawn, Brock and Ash." Mewtwo said. Mew nodded.

"What do you mean, 'in danger'?" I asked.

"Their lives are in danger, as well as yours, and the fate of the whole world." Mewtwo said.

"What are you talking about?!" I asked.

"I can't tell you." Mewtwo said, looking away from me.

"Why?!" I asked.

"You must figure it out for yourself." Mewtwo said. Suddenly, the ceiling evaporated.

"We'll meet in the near future. Farewell, Leela." Mewtwo said and flew out of the room with Mew.

"Hey!! Come back!!! _WHAT'S GOING ON?!?!?!?!_" I screamed after them. Suddenly, a bright light engulfed me.

****

"AAAAAAAAH!" I screamed and sat up. I looked around. I was back in my hotel room. Suddenly, there was a yell from room 124. I felt the color drain from my face. It was Ash! I looked around. Oddly enough, I hadn't wakened anyone up. I quietly got out of bed. I touched the doorknob of room 124. The door flew open.

"Ash!" I said.

"Shhhh! I HAVE to talk to you." Ash said.

"Okay. Let me get my clothes on and I'll meet you in the hallway." I said.

"OK." Ash said and closed the door. I ran into the closet and changed. When I reached into the pocket of my jeans, I realized _THE PICTURE THAT I HAD BROUGHT WITH ME WAS GONE!!!!!_

I dashed out the door. Ash was sitting in the hallway.

"I had a nightmare!" we both said at the exact same time. I blushed and looked away. Ash cleared his throat.

"You know how we've been having nightmares and we don't remember them?" Ash asked. I nodded.

"And we wake up screaming. Hannah told me." I said.

"Well, this time I remember!" Ash said.

"Me too!" I said. I told Ash about my dream. He turned as white as a sheet.

"That's the exact same dream I had!" Ash said.

"And when I woke up . . . . _THE SCHOOL PICTURE I BROUGHT ALONG WAS GONE!!!!_" I said.

"No way!" Ash said, shaking his head. He checked his pocket.

"My picture's missing too!" he said, his face turning even whiter.

"Then that means . . ." I started.

"We're in the middle of something really bad!!!" Ash said.

"But what are we supposed to DO about it?" I asked.

"If only we knew . . ." Ash said.

"I'm afraid." I said, shrinking back. Ash's face hardened.

"Whatever it is . . . . I know we can beat it." Ash said confidently.

"You're right." I said, looking him in the eye. "Let's go back to our rooms. We should tell our friends as soon as they wake up."

"Yea." Ash said. We went into our separate rooms. I sighed and looked at my sleeping friends. I decided to turn on my PokéPod and listen to some music. I checked my watch.

It was 6:00. My friends probably aren't going to wake up anytime soon, I thought. Just then, Hannah stirred.

"Hannah?" I asked softly. She didn't respond. I shook her shoulder.

"Nnngh. WHAAAAT?" she asked grumpily. I switched off my PokéPod.

"I have something I really need to tell you." I said.

"Is it about Ash?" she asked in a low voice.

"NO! Well, sort of." I said. I told her everything.

"Whoa! That's really weird." She said.

"I know! We need to tell everyone. I think it means something." I said.

"Tell us what?" Heather asked, sitting up.

"Yea." Erin said, also sitting up. I told them all about my dream and my talk with Ash.

"WHAT??? You're telling me your school picture's GONE?!?" Heather asked, her eyes wide.

"Look for yourself." I said. I held my pocket open for her. She looked inside.

"That's really creepy!!!!" she said.

"Let me look." Erin said. She looked inside my pocket.

"That's really weird!" Erin said, her face turning white.

"Yeah. Ash and I are telling everyone. I feel it's really important." I said.

"Of course it's important!!! If Mewtwo said OUR LIVES ARE IN DANGER . . . . . you kind of have to assume it's important." Hannah burst out.

"Yea." I said.

"What's important?" Dawn and Greenalia said, bursting open the door. I told them everything.

"You say the picture's missing from your pocket?" Greenalia asked. I nodded. "Well, unless someone broke in and stole it that means only one thing."

"What?" Dawn asked.

"You probably weren't dreaming at all." Greenalia said.

"WHAT?!" We asked.

"But . . . . that's impossible!!!!" I said.

"There's no other way to explain it. Also, if it was a dream, you probably would've forgotten it." Greenalia said. I wiped my forehead with my arm.

"By Arceus, you're right." I said.

"And if Ash had the same dream AND his photo's also missing . . . ." Dawn started. Suddenly, Nikolai burst open the door.

"Lee!!! Ash told us everything . . . . . are you OK?? You're really pale." Nik said, sitting next to me.

"Yea . . . . I'm fine." I said. Brock, Garrison and Ash were standing in the doorway.

"Well, we're not going to solve anything if we don't eat." Ash said. Brock nodded.

"We'll be in the hallway when you're ready." Garrison said.

"OK." I said. The boys went out of the room. Half an hour later, we walked out of the room.

"Let's go!" Ash said, Pikachu on his shoulder. We walked to the breakfast hall. Two boys with flaming read hair, blue eyes, and freckles blocked our way to the breakfast bar.

"I'm Ritchie Gress!" one boy said.

"And I'm Andrew Gress! Are you Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town?" the other boy asked.

"The one and only." Ash said, grinning.

"What about a double battle?" Andrew challenged.

"You're on!!! Leela, want to be my partner?" Ash asked me.

"Sure!" I said, slightly coloring. I stepped up to Ash's side.

"_Pika!_" Pikachu said.

"I'll pick first. Ninetails, I choose you!" Ritchie cried, throwing a pokéball.

"Vaporeon, go!" Andrew called.

"Gliscor, I choose you!" Ash called, throwing a pokéball.

"I choose you . . . . Swordsman!" I called, throwing Swordsman's pokéball.

"Vaporeon, Ice Beam!!" Andrew called. Vaporeon let out a beam of ice at Swordsman.

"Dodge it!" I called. Swordsman calmly moved out of the way and the beam of ice went past him.

"Ninetails, Fire Spin!" Ritchie called. A vortex of flames erupted around Gliscor.

"Swordsman, Psychic!!" I called, pointing a finger at Ninetails. Swordsman let out a blast of purple light. It hit the Ninetales. It shook and fell on its side.

"Nice job guys!!" My friends cheered. I jumped in the air.

"Nice job Swordsman!" I cried.

"_Ralts!" _Swordsman said shyly. Ritchie recalled Ninetails. I held out Swordsman's pokéball. He shook his head.

"You want to keep fighting?" I asked. "Okay." I put his pokéball away.

"Charmeleon, go!" Ritchie called, throwing a pokéball. Charmeleon appeared.

"Gliscor, X-Scissor!" Ash called. Gliscor slashed mercilessly at Vaporeon.

"Vaporeon, use Aqua Jet!!!!!" Andrew called. Vaporeon let out a powerful jet of water at Gliscor.

"_Gliscoooooooor!!!!" _Gliscor screamed as it was sent flying across the room.

"Gliscor, Return! You did your best." Ash said, holding out Gliscor's pokéball. It went in its pokéball. "Go! Monferno!!!!" Ash threw a pokéball.

"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!!" Ritchie called. Charmeleon made a ball of flame and threw it at Swordsman. It hit him. Swordsman reeled backwards.

"Stay on your feet, Swordsman!!!" I cried. Swordsman lunged forward. He was OK! "Swordsman, Magical Leaf!!" I called. A cloud of multi-colored leaves swarmed Vaporeon. Vaporeon fainted.

"Yes!" Ash called.

"Good job!" my friends called. I ran to Swordsman and hugged him. I lifted him off the ground and spun. Suddenly, he started glowing.

"Huh?" I asked. My friend's eyes grew wide.

"He's evolving!" Ash said. I grinned. When Swordsman stopped glowing, he had transformed into a Kiralia!!

"_Kira!" _he said. I hugged him again.

"All right, now you are going in your pokéball." I said and held out his pokéball. He went into it. "Curly-Q, I choose you!" I called, throwing Curly-Q's pokéball. Andrew angrily recalled Vaporeon.

"Let's go, Marill!!!" Andrew yelled, throwing a pokéball. Andrew's Marill and Curly-Q appeared.

"Monferno, Mach Punch!" Ash called. Monferno ran up to Marill and punched it. Marill rolled over, but quickly sprang to its feet.

"Marill, BubbleBeam!!" Andrew called. Marill spat out some bubbles.

"Monferno, dodge it!" Ash called. Monferno dodged all of the bubbles except for one. It sent him flying backwards but he quickly jumped back.

"Charmeleon, use your DragonsBreath!" Ritchie called. Charmeleon roared and let loose a purple and blue flame at Curly-Q. She nimbly dodged it.

"_Char!" _The Charmeleon cried out in frustration.

"Egg Bomb!!!!!" I cried. Curly-Q grabbed an egg from her pouch and threw it at Charmeleon. It blew up in front of it.

"_Char!" _Charmeleon cried.

"Marill, Surf attack!!" Andrew called. A huge wave appeared and crashed down on Charmeleon, Monferno, and Curly-Q. The Charmeleon fainted.

"Gah!! Now I have only one pokémon left!" Ritchie said angrily. He recalled Charmeleon. Ash's Monferno was barely standing, but Curly-Q had recovered from the blow pretty quickly.

"Typhlosion, go!" Ritchie called, throwing a pokéball. The Typhlosion appeared.

"Curly-Q, Softboiled!" I called. Curly-Q squeezed two eggs from her pouch. She ate one and gave the other to Monferno. He ate it eagerly. All of his bruises and cuts vanished.

"Monferno, Mach Punch!!" Ash called. Monferno ran up to Marill and punched it. Marill fell over. Ash hugged Monferno.

"Yea!" our friends called.

"Good job, Monferno." Ash said, hugging him and holding out his pokéball. Monferno went into the pokéball. Ash lifted a finger. Pikachu scampered off Ash's shoulder and stood next to Curly-Q.

"Feraligatr, go!" Andrew called. It appeared. Ash and I exchanged a Look.

"Typhlosion, Fire Spin!!" Ritchie called. A vortex of flames erupted around Pikachu.

"Feraligatr, BubbleBeam!!" Andrew called. Feraligatr let out a bunch of powerful bubbles. They hit Curly-Q. She went flying backwards. I caught her before she hit the wall.

"Are you OK?" I asked her.

"_Happi!!" _she said.

"I'll take that as a yes. Egg Bomb!" I called. Curly-Q jumped out of my arms and threw an egg. It blew up in Feraligatr's face.

"Pikachu, Discharge!" Ash called. Pikachu charged electricity in its fur and unleashed it on Typhlosion and Feraligatr. They fainted.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One: Poisenia

"Yessssssss!" I cried, running over to hug Curly-Q.

"Good job, Pikachu!"

"Good job, Curly-Q!"

"Hooray, they won!" Our friends called. Ritchie walked up to me. He extended his hand.

"Hey, you're a really good Trainer. Shake?" He asked.

"Thanks!" I grinned and shook his hand. Andrew stomped away.

"Nice meeting you." Ritchie said and hurried away to comfort his brother.

"Woo hoo!" Dawn said.

"Good job!" Nik said.

"Thanks." I said, grinning.

"I can't believe Swordsman evolved that quickly!" Hannah said.

"Me neither! I was so surprised when he started glowing!!" I said.

"We made you guys each a bagel." Brock said, handing us each a bagel with cream cheese.

"Yum! Thanks." Ash said, eagerly taking it from Brock.

"Thanks." I said, trying not to laugh. After we ate, Brock stood up.

"Let's go to the Gym!" he said.

"Yea! But first Ash and I have to go to the Pokémon Center." I said.

"OK. We'll meet you at the Gym." Brock said.

"I'll come with you." Nik said.

"We'll be fine on our own." Ash said. Nik reluctantly went with the others. Ash and I walked out of the building.

"I can't wait to get another Gym badge!" Ash said.

"Me neither." I said. We walked into the Pokémon Center.

"Too bad Brock isn't here." Ash said, gesturing to the woman at the counter. I laughed. Once our pokémon were all healed, we walked to the Gym. Our friends were standing in front of it. We waved.

"Let's go!" Ash said. We ran into the Gym. After we had defeated all of the other Trainers, there was one purple door sitting in front of us.

"Who's going first?" Brock asked.

"Me!!" I cried before Ash could say anything. "Wish me luck!!" I dashed through the door.

The door led to a purple room. Standing in the middle of the room was a girl who looked just like Greenalia, except it seemed she dyed her hair purple. She was scratching a Nidoqueen's chin.

"Well well, a challenger. What's your name?" Poisenia asked.

"I'm Leela!" I said.

"And you probably know who I am. I am Poisenia. You want a battle, don't you?" Poisenia asked. I laughed.

"Of course I do!!" I said. Poisenia laughed.

"Well then, let's get started! I accept your challenge!" Poisenia said.

"Thunderbolt, go!" I called, throwing Thunderbolt's pokéball.

"I choose you! Muk!" Poisenia called, throwing a pokéball. Thunderbolt and Muk appeared. I winced.

"Thunderbolt, don't use any physical attacks, or you'll get poisoned! Try using Discharge!" I called. Thunderbolt shocked Muk. Muk growled.

"Muk, use Smog!" Poisenia called. Muk let out a black fog. It engulfed Thunderbolt.

"_Maiiii!" _Thunderbolt called.

"Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt!!" I called.

"_Minuuuuuuuuuuuun!" _Thunderbolt cried. A bolt of lighting came down from the ceiling and hit Muk.

"_Muk!" _Muk cried and fainted. The black fog cleared around Thunderbolt. Poisenia ran to Muk to make sure it was alright.

"Muk, Return!" she called, holding out a pokéball. I hugged Thunderbolt.

"Good job, buddy!" I said. I held out Thunderbolt's pokéball. He went back into his pokéball. I stood up.

"Crobat, go!" Poisenia called, throwing a pokéball.

"Swordsman, I choose you!" I called. Crobat and Swordsman appeared in a blast of light.

"Crobat, Poison Fang!"

"Evade it!" I called. Poisenia's Crobat chased Swordsman around the room, trying to sink its fangs into him.

"_Kiraaaaaaaalia!" _Swordsman cried.

"Psychic!!" I called. Swordsman let out a blast of purple light at Crobat. Crobat went flying backwards.

"Crobat, Sludge Bomb!" Poisenia called. Crobat spit out some purple sludge at Swordsman. It hit him.

"_Kiraaaaaa!"_ Swordsman cried as he was sent flying backwards. I caught him before he hit the floor.

"Are you OK?" I asked him.

"_K-k-kiraaa . . ." _Swordsman said, turning an unhealthy shade of purple. He was poisoned!

"You need a rest. Return!" I said, holding out Swordsman's pokéball. He went into his pokéball. "Chi-chi, I choose you!" I threw Chi-chi's pokéball. Chi-chi appeared.

"Vine Whip!" I cried. Vines shot out from Chi-chi's back and wrapped around Crobat. Chi-chi lifted Crobat up and slammed him against the wall.

"_Cro!" _Crobat cried out in pain. It slithered to the ground. Poisenia ran to it to check if it was okay.

"Crobat, Return!" she called. Crobat went into its pokéball. "Nidoqueen! Go!" Poisenia pointed a finger. Nidoqueen stepped in front of Poisenia.

"Can you handle a Nidoqueen, Chi-chi?" I asked. Chi-chi gave a fierce nod. "Okay then, use Razor Leaf!" Chi-chi sent out a cloud of leaves at Nidoqueen.

"Earthquake!" Poisenia called. The cloud of leaves vanished. Nidoqueen stomped on the ground. The ground started shaking.

"_Chikorita!!" _Chi-chi cried.

"Vine Whip!" I cried. The ground stopped shaking. Vines shot out of Chi-chi's back.

"Dodge them!" Poisenia called. Nidoqueen swiftly moved to the side, but lost her balance and fell heavily to the ground. The vines wrapped around Nidoqueen's legs. Chi-chi picked her up, and threw her against the wall. Nidoqueen grunted and stood up.

"Headbutt!!" Poisenia called. Nidoqueen headbutted Chi-chi. Chi-chi slid to the floor but jumped right back up. _Wow_! I thought.

"Absorb!" I cried. Chi-chi gave me a grateful look and closed her eyes. Light went from Nidoqueen to Chi-chi. When Chi-chi opened her eyes, all of her injuries were healed. The Nidoqueen fell backwards. I ran to Chi-chi and gave her a big hug.

"You were great!" I said.

"_Chikorita!" _Chi-chi said. I lifted her off the floor. Poisenia recalled Nidoqueen.

"I must say, I am very impressed. But I'm not finished with you yet!!! Weezing, go!" Poisenia called, throwing her last pokéball. Weezing appeared.

"Okay Chi-chi, you did great! Time to rest." I said, holding out her pokéball.

"_Chika." _She said and went inside her pokéball.

"Spirit, your turn!" I said, throwing Spirit's pokéball. Spirit appeared.

"Sludge Bomb!" Poisenia called.

"Counter it with Shadow Ball!" I cried. Weezing spat out some purple sludge and Spirit spat out a dark ball. The two attacks met in midair and blew up, sending both pokémon flying backwards.

"Dark Pulse!" I cried as soon as Spirit was upright. Spirit let out a roar. A ring of dark light slammed into Weezing, who was still trying to recover from the first attack. It fell on its side.

"Yes! We did it!" I said and hugged Spirit. Poisenia nodded and recalled Weezing.

"Wow Leela, you're pretty good. How long have you been a Trainer?" Poisenia asked.

"I don't know . . . . maybe a week?"

"A week? I'm really surprised. I was never beaten that soundly by such a new Trainer! Well anyway, here's your Skull badge!" Poisenia said and handed me the Skull badge.

"Thanks!" I said and put the badge in my Trainer case. "Bye!"

"Bye! Thanks for the battle!" Poisenia called. I grinned and walked through the door.

"Did you win?" all of my friends asked me at once.

"Chi-chi was amazing! She defeated a Crobat and a Nidoqueen! And yes, I did win." I said.

"A Crobat and a Nidoqueen?! I can't believe it!" Erin said.

"Well, the Crobat was significantly weakened my Swordsman." I admitted.

"Who's Chi-chi?" Ash asked.

"My Chikorita." I said.

"Wow!" Brock said.

"I'm going in there!!" Ash said and dashed through the door. Brock shook his head.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two: Trouble at the Gym

After we had all gotten our Gym badge except for Brock and Greenalia, Greenalia said,

"I want to see my sister. Let's go inside." Greenalia opened the door. "Poisenia!"

We entered the purple room again.

"Greenalia?? What are you doing here?? You collecting badges or something??" Poisenia asked, hugging Greenalia.

"Nope. Just taking a vacation with my new friends." Greenalia said.

"Cool!" Poisenia said.

"Excuse me." Greenalia said, letting go of Poisenia. Her phone was ringing. She flipped it open.

"Hello? Oh, hi Fern." Greenalia said. "WHAT?! But why?! Why do you have to do this?? Geez, I thought you were my friend . . . . I'll be there. We'll see who is worthy of the Gremlin Gym." Greenalia said, shutting her phone.

"_Pikachu?" _Pikachu asked.

"What's wrong?" Poisenia asked.

"Fern Whiffledame is challenging me. She wants the Gym . . ." Greenalia said, clearly distraught. Brock put an arm around her shoulders. "I've got to go back."

"We won't stop you." I said.

"I knew that Fern was trouble the minute I set my eyes on her. Good-bye sister. I'll see you at the next family gathering." Poisenia said.

"Bye." We said. We walked out of the room.

"Let's run to the hotel and grab our stuff." I said.

"Okay." Hannah said.

"I just can't believe Fern would do that . . . . she knows how much that Gym means to me. . . . ." Greenalia murmured, a faraway look in her eyes. We dashed into the hotel and quickly packed up. When we were all on our bikes, Greenalia turned to us.

"I'm sorry I must go this early . . . it's been a great pleasure knowing you all." Greenalia said.

"You too . . . come here." I said. We hugged each other.

"Don't go!" Brock said, bursting into tears.

"I have to." Greenalia said, releasing me.

"Let me come with you!" Brock begged, running forward and grabbing Greenalia's hands.

"I have to do this myself . . . . I'm sorry." Greenalia said. She gave Brock a quick kiss on the cheek, let go of his hands, and biked off. Brock stared after her.

"_Pika. . . ." _Pikachu said.

"C'mon Brock, let's go." Garrison said. I started biking slowly down the road. Everyone followed. Brock was silently bringing up the rear. Ash tried to strike a conversation with him, but Brock wouldn't talk.

I decided to let Chi-chi out of her pokéball and let her ride in my bike basket.

"_Chika!" _she said. I smiled at her. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the leaves.

"Huh?" I said, swiftly turning around. A Dratini came out of the bushes.

"Holy Miltank, a Dratini! Those are pretty rare!" Nikolai cried.

"Razor Leaf, Chi-chi!" I called.

"You're going to try to capture it?!" Ash asked.

"Of course!" I yelled, throwing an empty Quick ball. A red light shot out and captured Dratini. The ball shook twice, then the Dratini broke free! "Vine Whip!" Chi-chi let out two vines from her back and grabbed the Dratini. I threw a regular pokéball. This time the Dratini was captured. I grinned and hugged Chi-chi.

"Wow." Ash said, his eyes wide. I swiftly picked up the pokéball and put it in my bag.

"Does that Dratini have a nickname?" Hannah asked.

"Trouble." I said, grinning.

"Nice capture!" Nik said, holding out his palm. I grinned and slapped it.

"Okay, let's get going. We don't have much daylight left." Dawn said.

"You're right, let's get going." Heather said. We biked for a few hours. There was a rustle in the leaves.

"What was that?" Brock asked.

"Is it another pokémon?" Erin asked. A little girl jumped out at me.

"BOO!" she shrieked before dissolving into giggles. I was so surprised I fell off my bike.

"What the- JENI?!" I screamed.

"Yup!" she said and gave me a wink. "My friends are here too. Come out, gang!" My sister's friends Erin's sister Kylee, Hannah Sbachi (her nickname is Banana Split), Kieran, and a brown haired girl I didn't recognize came out of the bushes.

"KYLEE?!" Erin shrieked.

"BANANA SPLIT?!" Hannah shrieked.

"KIERAN?!" I shrieked.

"KENDAL?!" Garrison shrieked. The brown haired girl turned to Garrison.

"Hiya big brother!" the brown haired girl said.

"What are you doing here?!" I asked furiously.

"Well, when you left I had to follow you!!!" Jeni said.

"And we had to come!" Kylee added.

"Geez . . . mom must be worried sick . . ." I said.

"Oh well. We had a fun time following you anyway." Jeni said.

"Don't you guys realize what could've happened?! You could've been pulverized by some wild pokémon or something!!!" Erin said.

"Well . . . . Kieran wanted some pokémon, didn't you Kieran?" Jeni asked Kieran who was slowly inching his arm around Jeni's shoulders.

"Huh? What? Oh, yeah." Kieran said, quickly removing his arm.

"So he dragged you along?" I asked.

"No, they wanted to come." Kieran said.

"How old is Kieran?" Nikolai asked me.

"I'm ten." Kieran said.

"Oh. Okay. But everyone else is nine." Nik said.

"It was Jeni's idea!" Banana Split said.

"Well, you still shouldn't have done it." I said sternly.

"Are you Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town???" Jeni asked Ash.

"Yea. Why?" Ash said. Jeni ignored Ash and turned to Brock.

"And you're Brock from Pewter City???" she asked.

"Yup." Brock said.

"And you're Dawn from Twinleaf Town???" she asked.

"Yes. That's me!" Dawn said.

"Awesome!!!!!! So cool!!!!" Jeni said.

"Well, what are we going to do with them? We can't just leave them here!" Hannah said. I groaned.

"I guess you guys have to come with us." I said.

"Hurray!" Jeni said.

"Let's get moving, we don't have all day!" Heather said.

"More like all night." Brock said, gesturing to the sky.

"Icee City isn't that far up ahead. We're almost there." Kieran said, making another attempt to put his arm around Jeni's shoulders. Just then, there was a huge building in front of us that said TOURIST CENTER.

"We're here!" Heather said.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three: Icee City

The city was huge.

"Wow! This city is huge!" Kendal said.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said.

"Let's find a hotel, and quick!" Dawn said.

"Yea, it's almost 9:00!!" Banana Split said.

"And we have to eat dinner! I'm starving!" Ash said. It was all I could take to not burst out laughing.

"Let's stay here." Brock said, pointing to a building.

"Okay." I said. We walked into the lobby.

"Hello! How are you today?" A lady asked.

"Hi. We need four adjoining rooms." I said.

"Sure thing! Here's your keys." The lady said.

"Ummmm . . . . don't we have to pay . . . .?" Brock asked.

"Oh yea, whatever you can afford." The lady said.

"Okay . . . ." I said. I rummaged in my bag and found one hundred poké points.

"Here." I said, handing her fifty.

"Thank you, and enjoy your stay." The lady said. I looked at the keys. They said 123, 124, 125, and 126.

After we had all settled in our rooms, Brock made dinner. He made some sandwiches. They were pretty good.

After we ate, Dawn stood up.

"Let's go to bed now; its almost 10:30." She said.

"Okay. Good night everyone." I said.

"Good night!" Everyone said. Heather, Erin, Hannah and I went into our room. I was so tired I didn't even get into my pajamas.

"G'night guys." Heather said.

"Good night!" we said. I closed my eyes.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Prophecy

I opened my eyes. I was in the same room that I was in last night. I sat up. Mewtwo was standing in front of me. I immediately stood up.

"What was the deal last night? Huh? What's going on? I don't care that you're one of the strongest pokémon in the world . . . I want you to TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!!!" I screamed.

Mewtwo opened his mouth and said:

"Strange dreams two heroes have had,

No one knows why; but they think it is bad,

Legendary pokémon they have seen,

Soon they will be down on their knees,

At noon, a storm will hit,

Controlling a boat with a bit.

Two heroes nearly drown,

When they awaken, they bow down,

To Careus, who tells them of disaster,

But they are made to forget it faster.

Ending up on a beach, confused and puzzled,

They find their friends and guzzle,

Wondering whatever happened.

They continue on with their journey, greatly saddened,

Then they reach the summit.

A vortex, a great battle, a world starting to plummet.

The three worlds hanging in the void,

It is another hero who beats the moid,

I ok lan, he sacrifises himself,

For the one he loves so selflessly.

The battle halts!

The pokémon cry, for it is their fault,

Tears of life begins to play,

Careus lets out a mighty neigh,

And everything is back to the way it was before."

"What in Arceus's green earth is that supposed to mean?!" I said. Mewtwo stayed silent. "TELL ME WHAT IT MEANS!" I shrieked, hammering my fists against Mewtwo's chest. Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue. "Do whatever you want to me . . . . I don't care. Just tell me what it means." I said.

"_Mew!" _Mew said, suddenly flying into the room. Mewtwo's gaze picked me up.

"Unngh! Gah!" I gasped. A little piece of paper flew into my pocket.

"Remember this prophecy. It's your key to understanding what's coming up in the future. You may not understand it now, but later it will all come clear." Mewtwo said. The blue light faded from his eyes. I fell to the ground like a stone.

"Unngh!" I said as I landed on the hard stone floor.

"_Mew!" _Mew said and stuck the school photo in my pocket. I was half conscious when the ceiling started to dissolve and Mew and Mewtwo flew out of the ceiling.

"Don't go . . . . TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!!" I screamed with the last of my energy.

****

I sat up and looked around. I was back in the hotel room with my friends. Immidently I stuck my hand in my pocket. _My school photo was back in my pocket as well as the piece of paper! _I took the piece of paper out of my pocket. It had the prophecy that Mewtwo had recited to me written on it. My blood seemed to turn to ice. I got out of bed and touched the doorknob that led to the boy's room. The door flew open.

"I had another dream!" Ash and I both said at the same time. I blushed.

"Let's talk about it in the hallway." I said. Ash nodded. He closed the door. I dashed out the door that led to the hallway. When I got out Ash was there too. I told him about my dream.

"That's exactly the same dream I had! And look!" Ash said, pulling out a piece of paper and a picture of him, Dawn and Brock out of his pocket. I pulled out the school picture and the piece of paper out of my pocket.

"Me too. I wonder what the prophecy means?" I said.

"Well, the first line's pretty clear. 'Strange dreams two heroes have had'. The two heroes must be me and you." Ash said.

"Yea. And 'No one knows why, but they think it is bad' part must mean that we think that the dreams means something important's going to happen." I said.

"What about 'Legendary pokémon they have seen'? I've seen lots of legendary pokémon, but what about you?" Ash asked.

"Well, I've seen them in my dreams, and I thought I saw Ho-Oh in Mukrow City . . . . and at the top of the Darkrai Tower, my friends say that I claimed to see Mew, but I don't remember any of it." I said.

"Well then, that solves that part." Ash said.

"Yea. What about, 'Soon they will be down on their knees'?" I asked. Ash shook his head.

"I don't know." Ash said. "We should wake up our friends and tell them about this."

"You're right. Maybe they can help us solve this." I said. Ash nodded and we went into our separate rooms. "Hannah!" I whispered, shaking her shoulder.

"Unngh. Whaaaat? Did you have another nightmare??" Hannah demanded.

"Yes. A very strange one too. Try to wake up everyone. It's very important." I said. Hannah groaned and got out of bed. I shook Heather's shoulder.

"Mmph!" she said.

"Heather, wake up!" I said.

"Ugh. I was having the best dream . . ." Heather groaned.

"What, you were marrying Garrison?" I asked.

"No!" Heather snapped. "I won a Master class Cute contest!! Why are you waking me up anyway?"

"Ash and I had another weird dream. Wake everyone up . . . . we need your help." I said. Heather wrinkled her face up.

"Okay." She said. She got out of bed. Hannah shook Erin awake.

"What's going on??" Erin asked, waking up. "Oh, it's you."

"Yea. Leela had another dream." Hannah said.

"Oh." Erin said.

"Get up and get dressed. Heather and I'll wake up the little kids and Dawn." I said.

"Okay." Erin said.

"Sure thing." Hannah said. Heather and I walked into the other room. I ran to Jeni.

"Jeni, wake up!" I said and shook her shoulder. She didn't move. "WAKE UP!!!" I screamed in her ear. Jeni stirred and opened one eye.

"Why do you have to be so loud?" Jeni groaned.

"I had another dream!" I said.

"Huh?" Jeni asked.

"Never mind. I'll explain in a few minutes. Get dressed and meet me in my room." I said. Heather had already waken up Dawn and Kylee. I ran over to Banana Split.

"Banana Split, wake up!" I hissed in her ear.

"Huh? What? Oh, hi Leela." Banana Split said.

"Hiya. Get up and get dressed. I really have to tell you something." I said.

"Okay!" Banana Split said and hopped out of her bed. Heather walked up to me and nodded.

"They're all awake." She said.

"Okay." I said and walked into my room. Heather followed me. Garrison, Brock, Ash (with Pikachu on his shoulder), and Nik were sitting on the beds chatting with Erin and Hannah.

"Good morning!" I said. Nik looked up at me.

"Good morning! Ash told me about the whole dream thing." Nik said.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said.

"Yea. Where's Kieran?" I asked.

"He's still getting ready." Brock said. I nodded.

Once we were all in the room, Ash and I told everyone about the dream.

"Geez . . . . . a prophecy, huh?" Heather asked. Ash nodded. We recited it for everyone.

"It's written on these pieces of paper, too." I said. I handed my piece of paper to Erin and Ash handed his to Dawn.

"Well, the first two lines are pretty clear." Erin said.

"Yea, but what about 'Soon they will be down on their knees'?? Or 'Controlling a boat with a bit'?? And who in Arceus's name in Careus and I ok lan?!" Dawn asked.

"Hold on . . . . Arceus . . . . and Careus . . . ." I said.

"What?" Nik asked.

"Let me see that paper." Kendal said. Erin handed her the piece of paper. "Aha! As I suspected."

"What?" Banana Split asked.

"Careus and Arceus have the same letters in them! They're just mixed up!" Kendal said.

"Like an anagram!" Heather said.

"So I ok lan must be an anagram too!!" I said.

"I wonder who that is?" Nik said.

"Geez, I've got no clue." Jeni said.

"Me neither." Kieran said, shrugging.

"_Pika pi!" _Pikachu said miserably.

"What does 'moid' mean?" Heather asked.

"Ummm, if I remember correctly, it means 'great odds'." Brock said, rubbing his chin.

"I'm getting hungry." Ash said. We all burst out laughing hysterically.

"What? What's so funny?" Ash asked.

"Well . . . we're . . . trying . . . to . . . solve . . . a . . . serious . . . prophecy . . . and . . . and. . . and. . . . ahahahahaha!" I managed to gasp out before dissolving into giggles.

"Well, we can't get far on an empty stomach." Ash said.

"_Pika pika!" _Pikachu agreed. We abruptly stopped laughing.

"You're right, of course." Brock said.

"Well, let's go!" Kieran said, walking out of the room. We followed him.

After we ate, Brock said,

"Well, can you come up with some ideas now?"

"Well, Mewtwo did say that the prophecy will come clear. Maybe we should just take a break." Ash said.

"Maybe we can check out the Contest hall!" Dawn said.

"Yea. Let's explore!" Kieran said. We stood up and exited the building.

"Hey look, a sign!" Hannah said.

"What does it say?" Ash asked.

"World famous Wailord and Wailmer watch. Just one poké point a person!" Hannah read. I counted everyone.

"That'd be fourteen poké points. Let's do it!" I said. We walked up to the ticket booth.

"Fourteen tickets, please." Ash said to the suspicious-looking man at the booth.

"_Pikachu . . ." _Pikachu said darkly.

"Fourteen poké points, please." The man said. I handed over the poké points and he handed us the tickets. We boarded the ship. The ship was huge.

"Wow! This ship is huge!" Kendal said.

"Yea." Garrison said. We ran up onto the deck. There was dozens of other people there. The ship gave a little toot.

"Hello, this is you captain speaking. We will go far out into the Glacial Sea, so just in case of an emergency your life jackets are under your seats. Here we go!" The loudspeaker over our heads said. The boat started slowly moving forward.

"_Pika pika!!" _Pikachu said, pointing out to sea.

"Cool, a Lapras!" Kieran said.

"Look, it's Kyogre!" Jeni called.

"WHAT?! Where??" I asked.

"Just kidding." Jeni said and giggled. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"You promised you wouldn't do that anymore!" she said.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Roll your eyes at me." Jeni said.

"When'd I say that?" I asked. A worried look crossed along Jeni's face.

"Uh . . . uh . . . uh . . . a few years ago . . . . . . ?" Jeni stammered.

"Uh-huh." I said.

"No, you did!" Jeni said.

"Come sit with us!" Ash called, clearing a seat between him and Brock. I grinned.

"Okay!" I said eagerly. I sat in the seat, feeling really important.

"_Pika pi!" _Pikachu said. I released Thunderbolt.

"_Mai maiiii!" _He called. He immidiently climbed up my shoulder. I laughed.

"_Pika pikachu!" _Pikachu called.

"It's a Wailord!" a rising cheer came up.

'Wow, they're huge!" I said.

"There's another one!" Dawn pointed.

"There's a baby Wailmer!" Jeni called. We dashed to the railing.

"Wow!" I said. The Wailmer seemed to wink at me.

"That Wailmer seems to like you." Nik observed.

"Yea." Heather said.

"_Waiiiiiilord!" _One of the Wailords cried. The Wailmer did a little jump out of the water.

"_Wailmer!" _it said, looking at me. I laughed.

"What time is it?" Nik asked. I looked at my watch.

"11:59." I said. Brock started to go pale.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"The storm at noon . . . . ." Brock said.

"Huh?!" Jeni asked.

"The prophecy! Remember 'The storm at noon'??" Brock asked. There was a huge gust of wind.

"Yes . . . . oh geez . . .. look at those clouds . . . ." I said.

"We're gonna drown?" Ash asked, turning pale.

"_Pika . . . ." _Pikachu said.

"_Mai . . . ." _Thunderbolt said.

"I can't remember." Brock said. I took out the piece of paper.

"It's blank!" I cried.

"WHAT?!" My friends cried.

"Look for yourself!" I said, handing the piece of paper to Nik.

"Those clouds are getting closer by the second." Dawn said worriedly.

"My piece of paper's blank too!" Ash cried. Another big gust of wind blew. A bolt of lightning shot across the sky. Brock looked around.

"We're in the middle of the sea. We can't outrun it." Brock said.

"_Mai . . . ." _Thunderbolt said.

"Aw geez . . . ." Garrison said. A huge wave hit the ship.

"Whoaaaa!" I screamed. Then the clouds swept across the sky, blocking out the sun. Rain started pouring down in sheets. The storm had hit.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Storm

"_Pikachuuuuu!" _Pikachu cried.

"_Minuuuuuun!" _Thunderbolt cried. A lightning bolt came down from the sky. Another huge wave hit the boat.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" I screamed as Thunderbolt and I was swept overboard. I landed into the cold sea with a splash. I struggled to keep my head above the water. I heard my friends scream. Another wave had hit the boat and they were now in the water!

"Lee!" Someone screamed. I looked up. Nik was hanging on to his Staravia's legs! "Grab my hand!" he cried. He flew down to the water's surface. I grabbed his hand and Staravia flew into the dark sky.

"I'm slipping!" I cried.

"_Mai!" _ Thunderbolt cried.

"No!!!!!" Nik cried as my hand slipped out of his.

"Aiyeeeeeee!" I screamed as I fell down like a stone.

"_Minuuuuuuuuuuuun!" _Thunderbolt screamed. I hit the turbulent waters with a splash. I frantically paddled to the surface. I spotted Hannah, Erin, and Dawn riding on Ruby.

"Leela!" Hannah cried. She had seen me!

"Stay there and try to keep your head above the water!" Erin called.

"_Mai!" _Thunderbolt cried.

"_Pika!" _I heard something cry. I spat out some water and whirled around. Pikachu was paddling towards me.

"Where's Ash???" I asked Pikachu.

"_Pika pika!" _Pikachu said and shrugged. I took this as an 'I don't know'.

I looked around frantically. Garrison and Heather were hanging on to Garrison's Piplup, Kieran and Jeni were hanging onto Heather's Luvdisc and Brock, Kendal, Banana Split, and Kylee were each hanging onto a piece of driftwood.

Ruby had almost reached us. Suddenly, a huge wave came in between us, sending Thunderbolt, Pikachu, and I away from my friends.

I was pushed under the surface. Water flooded into my mouth. I closed my mouth and swam upwards. I reached the surface, coughing.

Suddenly, something hit me in the back of my head. HARD. I was pushed under the water again, this time I was barely conscious. I tried to swim up to the surface, but my limbs were stiff and heavy. Thunderbolt and Pikachu were trying to pull me up to the surface.

_So this is how I die_, I thought. Thunderbolt and Pikachu's efforts to pull me to the surface were getting weaker. I saw Kyogre swim under me . . . . . or maybe it was a trick my failing eyes were playing on me. Then everything went black.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty-Six: L.A.P. Island

I slowly opened my eyes.

"Huh?" I asked. I got up. I was in the sky, surrounded by clouds. Thunderbolt was bouncing next to me. He was sparkly and transparent. I stood up.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"You are in heaven." A voice said. I whirled around.

"G-great Grandma?!" I asked.

"Yes. It is I." Great Grandma said.

"Am I . . . . dead?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, dearie." Great Grandma said.

"But . . . . . the prophecy . . . . ." I said.

"What prophecy?" Great Grandma asked. I slowly shook my head and backed away from Great Grandma.

"I can't be dead. Not now! I WANT TO LIVE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Everything went black.

"Leela, please wake up!" Someone cried.

"_Mai!" _Someone else said.

I slowly opened my eyes. I felt a wave of nausea and I coughed up all of the water I swallowed.

"You're alive!" someone said. I turned around. It was Ash!

"_Mai maiiii!" _Thunderbolt chattered happily.

"I've got a throbbing headache and my stomach hurts, but other than that I'm fine." I said, coughing up some more water. "Where's Pikachu?" Ash's eyes grew shiny with tears.

"I . . . I think he . . . he . . . he . . ." Ash said, sniffing and brushing a tear away from his eye.

"_Mai . . . ." _Thunderbolt said sadly.

"Oh Ash . . . . ." I said, touching his shoulder.

"What's that up there?" Ash asked, standing up. There, on the hill ahead of us, was Pikachu!

"It looks like Pikachu!" I said.

"What?! Pikachu!!! PIKACHU!!!" Ash cried, running up the hill. Pikachu looked at Ash and turned and ran! "Pikachu, wait up!" Ash called, running after him. I grunted and stood up. I took off after Ash. Once I had caught up with him, he held out Pikachu's pokéball.

"Alright Pikachu, back in your pokéball!" Ash said. Suddenly, a Pikachu came out of the pokéball!!

"_Pika!" _the real Pikachu said and jumped on Ash's shoulder.

"Okay . . . . this is awkward . . . ." I said. The other Pikachu ran off into a forest.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried. He swept Pikachu off of his shoulder and hugged him.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu said.

"How'd Pikachu get in his pokéball?" I asked.

"No idea." Ash said.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"I don't know . . . . hey, look at those caves!" Ash said, pointing to some huge caves into the distance.

"This place somehow looks very familiar . . . " I said.

"Yea . . . . now that you mention it . . . . it DOES look very familiar! I can't remember why, though." Ash said.

"_Mai maiiii!" _Thunderbolt said.

"I can't remember either." I said.

"Well, we're going to have to find somewhere to stay the night." Ash said.

"How about one of those huge caves?" I asked.

"I don't know . . . . there might be some pokémon in there." Ash said.

"You're right." I said. Suddenly, something rustled in the bushes. A tiny gray pokémon that had tiny red jewels encrusted in its two tails and that looked like it was wearing a builder's helmet came out of the bushes.

"That's Uxie!" Ash said. Uxie turned toward us. Its mouth dropped open. I stared at its eyes. I suddenly felt very strange. I almost felt like I was floating. I was so relaxed. Suddenly, Ash tackled me.

"What'd you do that for?!" I asked.

"Uxie was trying to hypnotize you. Run!!!" Ash cried. We ran off.

"_Ux!" _Uxie cried out in frustration. It suddenly materialized right in front of us.

_There is no escape_, it said. Except Uxie didn't actually say it. Uxie was sending thoughts directly into our brains!

_Yes, there isn't. _Two other voices projected into my brain. We whirled around. Azelf and Mesprit were closing in on us.

_Relax . . . ._ Azelf said. I grabbed an empty pokéball.

_It's no use trying to capture us. Drop the ball._ Uxie said. I shuddered and dropped the ball. Uxie stared at me. That strange feeling enveloped me again.

"Must . . . . break . . . . free . . . ." I murmured to myself, trying to pull my gaze away from Uxie's stare.

_Just relax . . . . if you don't struggle this will be so much easier . . . ._ Uxie said. I tried to pull my gaze away again. A searing pain went through my back.

"Ahhhh!" I cried in pain.

_You are getting very sleepy . . . . . ._ Uxie said. My eyelids started drooping.

"Must . . . . stay . . . . awake!" I cried out in desperation. A light flashed from Uxie's eyes. I swayed and collapsed on the ground, fast asleep.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Legendaries

I slowly opened my eyes. I luxuriously stretched and yawned. Then I remembered where I was! I frantically looked around. Ash, Thunderbolt, and Pikachu were snoring softly on the cave floor. There was a lantern on the floor providing the light. I carefully lifted the lantern and looked into the darkness.

There was a tunnel leading into who-knows-where. I gently shook Ash's shoulder.

"Ash!" I hissed into his ear.

"Huh? What? Oh Leela, it's you!" Ash said.

"Yeah, check out what I found!" I said. I pointed down the tunnel.

"Wow!" Ash said. "Let's explore! Pikachu, wake up!"

"_Pika?" _Pikachu said, opening one eye.

"_Mai?" _Thunderbolt said, also opening one eye.

"Come on, we found a passageway!" I said. Pikachu and Thunderbolt nodded. Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder and Thunderbolt hopped on my shoulder. I ran forward into the tunnel. Suddenly, I was stopped by an invisible wall! I went flying backwards.

"Leela!" Ash cried.

"Unngh . . . . ." I groaned.

"Are you OK?" Ash asked.

"I guess so . . . ." I said. Ash held out his hand. I grabbed it and pulled myself up. "Thanks." I said, blushing.

"No problem." Ash said.

"_Mew!" _Something said. We whirled around.

"MEW?!" Ash and I cried. Mew giggled and trapped us in a purple bubble.

"_Mai?" _Thunderbolt asked.

"What's going on?! Let us out!" Ash yelled, pounding on the walls of the bubble.

"_Mew!" _Mew said and put a paw to its lips.

"Ash . . . . ." I said and touched his shoulder.

"Shhhh! Listen!" Ash said. I gasped.

"Pokémon calls! Where's Mew taking us?!" I asked.

"I don't know but be prepared." Ash said.

"_DIA!!!!!" _A rumbling cry blasted through the cave.

"_Mew." _Mew said. Ash and I looked around. Mew had taken us to what seemed like a humongous conference room. Two torches lit up at the closest end of the table.

"Wow, a Shaymin!" I said.

"Cool, a Rotom!" Ash said. Two more torches lit up.

"It's a Manaphy and Phione!" I said. Two more torches lit up.

"What the- Regirock, Registeel, Regice and Regigigas?!" Ash cried. Two more torches flared into life.

"ARTICUNO, MOLTRES, and ZAPADOS?!" I cried. Two more torches lit up.

"RAYQUAZA, GROUNDON, and KYOGRE?!" Ash cried. Two more torches lit up.

"CRESSILIA and DARKRAI?!" I cried. Two more torches lit up.

"ENTEI, SUICUNE, and RAIKOU?!" Ash cried. Two more torches lit up.

"LATIAS and LATIOS?!" I cried. Two more torches lit up.

"UXIE, AZELF, and MESPRIT?! Oh wait, we saw you already." Ash said. Azelf sighed and rolled its eyes. Two more torches lit up.

"HEATRAN, CELEBI, and DEXOYS?!" I cried. Two more torches flared up.

"LUGIA, HO-OH, and MEWTWO?!" Ash cried. Four torches flared up.

"GIRATINA, DIALGA and PALKIA?!" I cried. One huge torch at the far end of the table flared up.

"ARCEUS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?" Ash and I cried.

"Of course I'm Arceus, who the heck did you think I was?!" Arceus said.

"Uh . . . . ." Ash said.

"Never mind. Mew, please take your seat." Arceus said.

"_Mew!" _Mew said.

"So, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town . . . . . we meet again." Arceus said.

"Huh? You know him?!" I asked Ash.

"Uh . . . . . yea. It's a really complicated story . . . . . I'll explain later." Ash said.

"Who's the girl?" Arceus asked.

"Ummmm . . . . I'm Leela Locke from Motem town." I said standing up.

"She's my friend!" Ash said.

"OoooOOOOoooh!" Cresselia cooed. Ash blushed.

"Anyway . . . . now that introductions are out of the way . . . . . WHY DO YOU TRESSPASS ON OUR ISLAND?!" Arceus thundered. The force of its voice sent the bubble flying backwards.

"_Maiiiiiiii!" _Thunderbolt cried. The purple bubble popped when it hit the cave wall. Mew quickly made a pink bubble on the floor. We landed softly on the bubble. Arceus coughed.

"Sorry. I forget my power sometimes." Arceus said.

"Well, we didn't mean to . . . . . trespass . . . . we didn't exactly have a choice." I said.

"What do you mean, you didn't have a choice?" Latias asked gently.

"We were caught in a storm." Ash said.

"Oh." Arceus said. "We've never had humans on L.A.P. Island before. We'll have to figure out what to do with you."

"L.A.P. Island?!" Ash and I asked.

"Yes. It's where you are right now." Arceus said.

"It stands for Legendary Awesome Pokémon. Mii made it up!!" Shaymin said proudly.

"Okay . . . ." I said.

"Well, while we figure out what to do with you, you may roam around our island. Do whatever you like. But Mewtwo will be with you at all times. Right Mewtwo?" Arceus said.

"Of course." Mewtwo said. He stood up. We walked out of the cave. "Wow Ash, you've definantly grown since the last time I saw you."

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said.

"I want to ask you a few questions, Mewtwo." I said.

"Ask away." Mewtwo said.

"We-e-e-e-ell, could we maybe to somewhere more private?" I asked.

"I'll bring you to my cave." Mewtwo said. He grabbed us and flew into the sky.

"Is it off the island?" I asked.

"No. It's in the forest." Mewtwo said.

"Oh. Then why are we flying there?" I asked.

"I fear we don't have much time before Arceus comes up with what to do." Mewtwo said.

"_Mai . . . . ." _Thunderbolt said. Mewtwo let go of us and we floated gently to the ground.

"Whoa . . . . ." Ash said.

"Welcome to my cave." Mewtwo said.

"Thanks." I said.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu said. Mewtwo stared at a candle. The candle flared into life.

"Now, your questions?" Mewtwo asked, staring intently at me. I shivered.

"Ummmm . . . well . . . how come all of the legendaries are here except for Jirachi? And aren't Dialga and Palkia never supposed to meet?" I asked.

"Well . . . . something happened once in Alamos town . . . . I don't know if you've heard about it or not . . . ." Ash said.

"Oh . . . . I remember now . . . . it was on the news." I said.

"Yes, and that day the boundaries between those two pokémon were broken. Because of Palkia's power of space this island has never been discovered. Palkia makes this island look small when, in actuality, it is huge!" Mewtwo said.

"Wow!" I said.

"So where's Jirachi?" Ash asked.

"That's classified." Mewtwo said.

"Okay then . . . . my next question is . . . . what about the dreams you've been sending us?" I asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mewtwo said, looking away from us.

"You know what we're talking about!" Ash cried out.

"Come on! What's with the whole prophecy thing?!" I asked. Mewtwo sighed.

"I underestimated your intelligence." Mewtwo said. "Let me start at the beginning. I took a look into the future a few days ago."

"And?!" Ash and I said impatiently.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this." Mewtwo said. "I saw Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina having an argument. All of the legendaries started choosing sides, except for Arceus. Arceus declared that there would be a big showdown at the top of Mount Frosscap. Suddenly, you appeared and the top . . . . . . . right before all of the legendaries started fighting."

"Then what?!" I asked urgently.

"Then . . . . Giratina accidentally blew a hole in our dimension to a different dimension." Mewtwo said.

"Reverse World?" Ash asked.

"No. It's another dimension that works pretty closely with the other two. But . . . . there is one major difference." Mewtwo said.

"WHAT IS IT?!" Ash and I burst out.

"There are no pokémon in that dimension." Mewtwo said.

"WHAT?! No pokémon at all?!" I asked.

"None." Mewtwo said. Ash and I shuddered.

"How awful!" I said.

"But anyway, where was I?" Mewtwo asked. "Oh yea, when Giratina blasted the hole. A huge vortex appeared, and everything was distorting and going crazy. And if THAT wasn't enough, Shaymin used Seed Flare and punctured a hole in Reverse World by accident!"

"Oh . . . ." I said.

"So all three worlds were leaking into each other, and nothing could stop them." Mewtwo said.

"What about the prophecy?! Wasn't Leela and I and this guy called I ok lan supposed to save the world or something?!" Ash burst out.

"Who is I ok lan anyway?" I asked. Suddenly, Arceus came into the cave.

"_Mai . . . ." _Thunderbolt said.

"_Pika . . . ." _Pikachu said.

"We've figured out what to do. Mewtwo, brainwash them and send them back to where they came." Arceus said. Ash and I exchanged a worried look. Mewtwo nodded. Arceus left the cave.

"Don't do this Mewtwo. PLEASE!!!" I pleaded, falling to my knees in front of Mewtwo.

"We have to remember what you told us so that we might be able to do something to change it!" Ash said.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu cried.

"_Minun!" _Thunderbolt cried.

"I must." Mewtwo said, giving Ash and I an 'I'm sorry' look. "Arceus is probably watching me right now to make sure I do what he asked."

"Don't do this! PLEASE don't do this!" I sobbed.

"I must." Mewtwo said in a voice barely above a whisper. He took Ash, Pikachu Thunderbolt, and me into his gaze.

"Farwell." Mewtwo said. We started floating and everything went white. _Must . . not . . close . . my . . eyes . . . . _I thought. I shuddered and everything went black.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Back at Icee City

"Leela!! Leela!! Are you alive?? Please wake up!!!! Pleeeeeease!!" I heard someone cry. I gave out a little groan. I coughed up some water and opened my eyes.

"Nikolai!" I cried.

"Oh Arceus . . . . thank Arceus you're alive . . . . I thought I lost you . . . . I thought I'd never see you again . . . ." Nik sobbed, hugging me.

"_Mai!" _Thunderbolt cried. I let go of Nik and hugged Thunderbolt.

"Where's everyone else? Surely they haven't moved on without you?" I asked.

"No. They're probably at the hotel right now. Oh hey, here comes Dawn." Nik said, pointing up the beach.

"Dawn!" I yelled and waved.

"What the- Leela?! Omigosh!!! You're ALIVE!" Dawn cried, running down the beach to us.

"Yup. I'm alive and kicking, Dawn!" I said.

"I don't believe it! How did you ever get out of that storm alive?!" Dawn asked, hugging me.

"Honestly . . . . I have no clue." I said and laughed.

"What's that over there?" Nik asked, pointing to the end of the beach.

"It's Ash and Pikachu!" Dawn cried. She took off down the beach. I ran after her. "Ash! Ash! Are you OK?!"

"_Mai maaaaai!" _Thunderbolt said, vigorously shaking Pikachu. Dawn and I sat down next to Ash and we shook him.

"Ash, wake up!" I said.

"Ugh . . . . . Dawn? Leela?" Ash groaned, opening his eyes.

"You're alive!" Dawn cried and hugged him.

"_Pi . . . . ." _Pikachu said, slowly opening his eyes.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried. He let go of Dawn and hugged Pikachu.

"_Pi . . .kachuuuuuu!"_ Pikachu cried. Ash stood up. He and I stared at each other for a long time. Finally, I ran forward and threw my arms around his neck.

"I'm so glad you're OK!" I said.

"Yea, me too." Ash said. I let go of him. Ash was as red as a tomato.

"I'm glad you made it, buddy." Nik said and gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"Let's run back to the hotel! Everyone'll be so thrilled!" Dawn said.

"Okay!" I said eagerly. We ran all the way to the hotel. When we got there, Dawn opened the door to my room.

"Guess what!!" Dawn squeaked.

"What?" Heather's voice asked.

"Check out who we found at the beach!!" Nik said. Ash, Pikachu, Thunderbolt, and I ran into the room.

"Wha- I don't believe it!!! Are you real???" Brock said, running up to us and pinching our faces.

"Ouch! Yes, we're real." I said.

"_Pika pika!"_ Pikachu squeaked. Brock squeezed us in an enormous hug.

"Gah . . . . Brock . . . . you're crushing us . . . ." Ash gasped.

"Oh, sorry." Brock said, releasing us.

"You're alive!" Jeni said. Everyone hugged each other.

"Why don't you make a celebratory feast, Brock? I'm STARVING!" Ash said. I tried to hold back my laugher, but I couldn't.

"What's so funny?" Ash asked indignantly.

"Nothing." I said.

"Sure I'll make a feast. I just came back from the food store anyway." Brock said.

"Great!" Ash said. Brock went into his room.

"How'd you guys survive that storm?!" Hannah asked.

"I don't know . . . . ." I said.

"I don't remember." Ash said, looking at me. "Do you?" I shook my head.

"Hmmmmm." Garrison said.

"You must've died and come back!" Banana Split said.

"That's ridiculous!" Kieran said.

"Well, how else could they've come back?!" Banana Split said defensively.

"Okay, break it up guys." Jeni said, walking in between Banana Split and Kieran.

"Who cares how they survived, I'm just glad they did!" Erin said.

"I'm going to check on Brock in the kitchen." Jeni said.

"I'll go with you." Kendal said. They left the room.

"Okay . . . ." Kylee said.

"I hope dinner is done soon! I'm starving!" Ash said. Dawn snorted.

"What?" Ash asked, giving her a surprised look.

"Nothing." Dawn said.

"_Mai!" _Thunderbolt said. I grinned at him. Hannah laughed. Brock walked into the room carrying a huge platter.

"You're done already?!" I asked.

"Yup!" Brock said cheerily. Jeni and Kendal ran into the room, carrying smaller platters. They set them down on the table. Ash reached for a soft roll, but Jeni slapped his hand.

"Ouch! What'd you do that for?!" Ash said angrily.

"Dinner's not ready yet!! Not all of the food's on the table!" Jeni said, winking at Dawn. Once everyone was at the table, Ash grabbed a knife and fork.

"Let's eat!" He said.

"One minute, Ash Ketchum!" Dawn said, dragging him away from the table by the ear.

"Hey! Wha- what's the big idea?!" Ash said angrily.

"How many times do I have to tell you this . . . . BEFORE YOU EAT, YOU HAVE TO WASH YOUR HANDS!!!!!" Dawn said.

"Oh come on!!! Isn't this clean enough??" Ash asked, holding up his palms. Pikachu, Thunderbolt, and Jeni were rolling on the ground laughing their hearts out.

"_Ash Ketchum . . . . ._" Dawn said creepily.

"Y-yes ma'am!" Ash said and made a mad dash to the bathroom. Dawn skipped back to the table merrily and gave Jeni a high-five. Once we heard the bathroom door close, we all started laughing hysterically. Suddenly, the door creaked open. We abruptly stopped laughing and put serious faces on.

Ash sat down at the table between me and Hannah. Hannah raised her eyebrows and gave me a Look. I ignored her.

"Okay, now we dig in!" Ash said. I laughed and took a soft roll.

After we finished eating, I checked my watch.

"Wow, it's really late." I said.

"Yea. Do you think we should get a move on tomorrow?" Banana Split asked.

"Maybe." I said.

"Could we stay a little while in the morning? I want to enter Piplup in a Contest." Dawn said.

"Oooh, I'd like to enter Treecko in a Contest too!" Heather said.

"Yea. I'd like to try a Contest. See what they're like, you know?" I said.

"Okay. And we should stop by Professor Maple's lab. Kieran wants pokémon, remember?" Jeni said.

"Uh . . . . yea." Kieran said.

"Maybe we could get a PokéDex!" I said.

"Okay. We'll do that." Brock said.

"Let's go to bed, I'm really tired." Kendal said, yawning.

"Yea. It's been a long day." Nik said. I nodded.

"Good night everyone!" Kendal said, skipping out of the room with Jeni, Kylee, and Banana Split.

"Yea, good night." Dawn said, following them.

"Good night guys." I said.

"Good night." The boys said and walked out of the room. Hannah started giggling the moment they left.

"What?" I asked.

"Ash Ketchum totally likes you!!!" Hannah giggled. I turned a deep red.

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"He sat right between me and Leela!" Hannah said.

"If you base all your claims on that, you could say he likes you too." Heather pointed out.

"Remember how Ash cleared a seat for Leela between him and Brock on the ship?" Hannah asked.

"Touché." Heather said.

"How did you survive out there for a whole day?" Erin asked, changing the subject.

"WHAT?? A whole day?!" I cried.

"You and Ash were gone for a day, almost two days." Erin said.

"Two days?? Hmm . . . I can't see how that's possible . . . unless we found some sort of raft." I said.

"Well, did you?" Heather asked.

"I can't remember . . . . ." I said. "All I remember is the storm and blacking out. Then Nikolai shaking me and pleading for me to get up."

"Speaking of Nik . . . .when we washed up on the beach he was kneeling on the sand, trembling. We asked if he was OK. He nodded. Then he said, 'I'm OK but Leela probably isn't . . . . she's still stuck out there . . . .' and we're like yea and the he starts shaking more vigorously. Then he says, 'She's gone . . . . I couldn't save her . . . .' and then he slammed his fist into the ground." Hannah said.

"What?" I asked.

"I think he really likes you." Hannah said.

"What, Nik? Noooooo . . . . of course not! I'm sure that was just . . . . just . . . ." I said.

"Friendly concern?" Heather asked.

"Yea." I said.

"But . . . ." Hannah said.

"No. Nik and I have been friends since . . . . . . well, since who-knows-when. But that doesn't mean he likes me." I said.

"Okay, believe what you want." Hannah said. I got into bed.

"Good night!" I said.

"Good night!" Everyone else said. I closed my eyes.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Team Giralgkia

"Leela! Leela!" Someone was calling. My eyes snapped open.

"It's you." I said. "What do you want?"

"I don't have much time here . . . ." Mewtwo said, blinking.

"Time for what?!" I asked, sitting up.

"Okay, have you ever seen Arceus??" Mewtwo asked.

"Of course not, why do you ask such a silly question?" I asked. Mewtwo didn't answer and started flying up in the sky.

"Hey! Wait! Aren't you going to tell you something about the prophecy?? At least tell me who I ok lan is!!!" I yelled after him. He didn't answer. I sighed. Suddenly, a door appeared in the wall.

"Huh?" I asked. I walked over to the door and opened it. There was Latias right below the door!

"Want a ride?" she asked.

"Sure!" I said.

"Then hop on." Latias said. I was about to jump on Latias's back when someone tackled me.

****

When my head hit the floor, my eyes opened.

"What the- Nik?! What are you doing?" I hissed.

"Did I hurt you?" Nik asked urgently.

"Ummm . . . . I don't think so . . . . but why'd you tackle me?" I asked.

"You were about to jump out of the window." Nik said.

"WHAT?!" I asked.

"Yea. I heard some footsteps from your room and I decided to check it out." Nik said.

"Okay . . . . . . ." I said.

"Were you having another weird dream?" Nik asked.

"I must've been . . . . . but I can't remember it." I said.

"Drat." Nik said. We sat in silence for a while.

"It's midnight. We should get to bed." I said.

"Yea . . . . OK. Good night." Nik said.

"Good night." I said, shutting the door. I walked over to the window seat and looked out the window. The city was full of lights. It was very bright. I sighed. I closed my eyes and tried to remember my dream.

****

I must've fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes, Hannah was standing over me and the sun was shining through the windows.

"Oh . . . . . hi Hannah." I said.

"Leela! You're awake! How come you fell asleep on the window seat?" Hannah asked. I yawned and stretched.

"Well, I was having another weird dream and I was sleepwalking to the window. Nik tackled me and said I was about to jump out of the window." I said.

"Wow, he really does like you." Hannah said, shaking her head.

"No . . . . he wouldn't . . . . it was just . . . . um . . . . friendly concern!" I said.

"Come ON, Leela! Wake up and smell the bacon! Haven't you even seen the way he looks at you?!" Hannah asked.

"No, I haven't." I said bluntly.

"Hannah's right." A voice said from across the room.

"Huh?" I asked and whirled around. Heather and Erin were sitting up in their beds.

"We heard the whole conversation. I have to agree with Hannah." Heather said.

"Agree with her about what?" I asked.

"Nik." Heather said.

"Oh Arceus . . . ." I said.

"Much as you want to deny it, it's true." Heather said.

"No, I don't think so." I said. Heather shrugged.

"Suit yourself." She said. I sighed.

"I'm going for a walk." I said.

"Okay, just don't get lost . . . ." Erin said.

"I won't!" I said. "I'll be back in about an hour or so."

"Okay!" My friends said. After I was out of the hotel room, I released all of my pokémon.

"_Kira!" _Swordsman said.

"_Mai!" _Thunderbolt said.

"_Chika!" _Chi-chi said.

"_Happi!" _Curly-Q said.

"_Gastly!" _Spirit said.

"_Dra!" _Trouble said and started slithering away.

"Trouble! Get back here!" I said. I chased after him. I chased him at least three blocks before I finally managed to get him back in his pokéball. I panted and bent over.

"Hey, what's this?" I asked. Thunderbolt's eyes grew huge when he saw the blue, pink and purple gem on the ground.

"_Maiiii! Mai mai mai minun maiiiiii!" _Thunderbolt shrieked.

"What?" I asked. Then Chi-chi saw the gem.

"_Chika?! Chika chiko chi!!" _ Chi-chi shrieked.

"What is it? Oh geez, I wish I could understand you." I said.

"_Happi!" _Curly-Q said.

"_Kira!" _Swordsman said.

"This is very interesting . . . . . hmmm. I'll take it with me." I said aloud. I tucked the gem in my pocket.

_Gaaaaaastly!!" _Spirit said and twirled around.

"You want me to . . . . . turn around?" I asked.

"I wouldn't take that gem if I were you." A deep voice behind me said. I quickly turned around. Behind me was a middle-aged man. His skin was as pale as a sheet of paper. He had brown hair and menacing black eyes. I gulped.

"Ummmm . . . . how do you do?" I asked politely.

"What's your name, girl?" The man asked me.

"Ummmm . . . . . . I'm . . . . . . Lisa." I stammered.

"Well, _Lisa_, I need that gem. Hand it over." The man said, holding out his palm.

"_Mai mai mai!" _ Thunderbolt said, vigorously shaking his head no.

"Don't listen to your Minun. I need it for something . . . . . . . important." The man said. I looked from Thunderbolt to the man. Then I took off and ran in the opposite direction.

"You're making a big mistake!" the man yelled and ran after me.

"Ahhhhhh!" I screamed. I dashed through the city, the strange man hot on my tail. Curly-Q dug an egg out of her pouch and threw it at the man. The egg blew of in front of him.

"Dah!" The man cried in surprise.

"Thanks, Curly-Q!" I said.

"_Ha-ha-ha-happi!" _ Curly-Q cried and fell flat on her face.

"_Kiralia!" _Swordsman cried and ran to her side. I picked up Curly-Q and ran as fast as I could towards the hotel. The man had recovered quickly from the egg bomb and was still running after me. I dashed through the hotel doors and ran into the elevator.

"Come on, come on!" I said, pressing the button for the floor I was on. Then I pressed the button that closed the hotel doors at least ten times. The man had almost gotten into the elevator.

"I'll get you and that gem, you mark my words!" he growled before the doors closed. I sank to the floor, breathing heavily.

"_Mai?" _Thunderbolt asked me.

"I'm fine, Thunderbolt." I said. "Everyone back in your pokéballs." All my pokémon went into their pokéballs. I stood up. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. I looked right and left. Then I dashed out of the elevator and to the door to my hotel room.

"Let me in!!!!!!" I cried, pounding on the door.

"Okay Leela, no need to break the door down." Garrison's voice said, sounding annoyed. He opened the door. I ran into the room and slammed the door shut, triple locking it in the process.

"What's wrong?" Heather asked.

"Are you OK?" Nik asked, running over to me.

"I'm fine . . . . . ." I said.

"What happened?" Erin asked. I turned around. All of my friends were in my room, staring at me.

"Okay, well, I was walking around the city when all of a sudden I found this." I said, holding the gem out of my pocket.

"What's that?" Ash asked.

"I don't know. But anyway, this guy comes up to me and says he needs the gem." I said.

"What did he look like?" Ash asked. I described the man. Brock started to go pale.

"That's Marduk! The outlaw!" Brock said.

"WHO?!" we asked.

"Oh. I guess you never heard of him. When we stayed in Beachbum city, when Dawn and Ash were asleep, I watched a TV program on him. It said he was the head of a criminal network called Team Giralgkia." Brock said.

"Team Giralgkia??? What kind of name is that??" I asked.

"Yea, I don't know. Anyway, their goals aren't known but they've cause plenty of havoc in this reigon." Brock said.

"Hmmmmm . . . ." Hannah said.

"What did you do when Marduk asked you for the gem?" Garrison asked.

"What do you think I did?! I ran!" I said.

"Let me see that gem." Garrison said. I handed Garrison the gem. "Well, it's very pretty."

"I don't know what it is but it must be important if Marduk wanted it so badly." Heather reasoned, taking the gem from Garrison.

"Can I see the gem?" Jeni asked. She took it rudely from Heather and looked at it. "Wow! This must be pretty valuable!"

"Which is why you aren't carrying it." I said, taking the gem from her.

"Hey!! Give it back!" Jeni whined.

"You're probably going to drop it or something. I'LL carry it." I said, sticking the gem in my pocket.

"Can we go to Professor Maple's now??" Kieran asked impatiently.

"Sure. Let's keep a lookout for insert villain name here, though." Nik said.

"Okay, let's go!" Kieran said. He and Jeni dashed out of the room. We followed them. We ran out of the hotel and into the city. I felt like a wild Rapidash, running across the open range with its herd.

"This is it!" Jeni said, suddenly stopping. Someone crashed into me. I turned around.

"Sorry." Ash said, blushing furiously.

"It's OK." I said and smiled at him. I turned around and walked up the stairs to a big glass building.

"Do we knock?" Nik asked.

"Whenever we visit Professor Oak we always knock." Ash said. Kieran knocked on the door impatiently. A brown haired teenage girl wearing silver rectangular glasses opened the door.

"Are you Professor Maple?" Kieran asked.

"No. I'm her assistant, Roselynne Burks." The girl said. "Come inside."

"Wow! This lab is so cool!" Nik said, looking around.

"Sit down, I'll go get Professor Maple." Roselynne said and walked up the glass staircase.

"Wow, she's really pretty!" Brock said, sitting down on a couch. Ash sighed and sat down next to him.

Roselynne and an old woman with short gray hair and blue eyes came down the staircase.

"Hello, I'm Professor Maple. What can I do for you young 'uns?" The old woman said. I stood up and shook her hand.

"I'm Leela Locke, from Motem Town, and these are my friends." I said, introducing everyone.

"Kieran wants pokémon!" Jeni said. Kieran stood up.

"A pokémon Trainer wannabe, huh? Well, I don't give pokémon to everyone who asks, you know." Professor Maple said.

"Well, some of us would like PokeDexes too." Nik said

"Okay. I'll give you each a PokéDex, some PokéGear, and a mini PC to take with you. Well, except for Ash, Dawn and Brock. You don't need them, do you?" Professor Maple asked.

"No, Professor." Ash said.

"Very well." Professor Maple said.

"Thank you, Professor." We all said.

"You're welcome. Now, you're Kieran, right?" Professor Maple asked Kieran.

"Yup!" Kieran said.

"Okay. Here I have three pokémon, a Bulbasaur, a Torchic and a Tododile." Professor Maple said, releasing the three pokémon. "You get the one that likes you the most."

"So . . . . I don't choose the pokémon . . . . .?" Kieran asked.

"No. The pokémon will choose you." Professor Maple said.

"Umm . . . . . okay . . . ." Kieran said. The Torchic immidiently flew onto Kieran's shoulder.

"_Torchic!" _Torchic said.

"Okay, you get Torchic. Congratulations! You're now a pokémon Trainer!" Professor Maple said. She recalled Torchic and gave the pokéball to Kieran.

"Maybe you guys could give your parents a call on your new PokéGear. Tell them how you're doing!" Professor Maple said.

"Yea . . . . about that . . . ." I said.

"You mean . . . . you ran off without your parent's permission?!" Professor Maple said.

"They wouldn't let us go if we asked them." Nik pointed out.

"Well I never! They must be sick with worry about you . . . . . call them right now!" Professor Maple said. I sighed and reluctantly punched my parent's number in my PokéGear. I held the speaker to my ear.

"Hello?" my mom's voice asked.

"Hi mom. It's me." I said.

"Wha- Leela?? Is that you?? Where in the world are you?? Are you with your friends?? Is your sister with you??" Mom asked.

"Yes. I'm at Icee city with my friends, and yes, my sister is here." I said.

"Oh thank Arceus . . . . what were you thinking, running off like that??? And in the middle of the school year too . . . . . you, young lady, are grounded for a YEAR!" Mom shrieked.

"No, mom, please listen to me!! I'm on my pokémon journey!! Don't cut me off in the middle of it!! Please!! I promise nothing bad will happen!!" I pleaded.

"Well . . . . . since you're already out there . . . . I guess you can stay . . . . but when you get home, you are still GROUNDED!!! Do you hear me?? GROUNDED, GROUNDED, GROUNDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Mom said.

"Okay, I get the grounded part, mom." I said.

"Don't talk to me like that, young lady, or you will be grounded for TWO YEARS!!!!" Mom said.

"Yes mom. I love you. Bye." I said.

"Oh, wait! Before you go . . . . . . you need to stay away from Nikolai . . . . ." Mom said teasingly.

"MOM! I don't . . . . ." I started, then looked at Nik watching me. "Never mind. Love ya. Bye."

"So . . . . what did she say?" Hannah said.

"We can keep going!" I said.

"Hooray!" Erin said.

"Well, good bye." Professor Maple said.

"Good bye!" we said.

"Hey Roselynne, are you free tonight? Maybe we can . . . . oof!" Brock said, Croagunk appearing and punching him. Banana Split looked down and Brock and shook her head.

"Good bye." She said and pulled Brock out of the building by the ear. I followed them. When we got outside, Brock stood up and angrily recalled Croagunk.

"Okay, now let's go to the Contest hall!" Dawn said.

"First we have to change into our Contest dresses!" Heather said.

"I don't have one." I said.

"What?! Well, we're going to have to buy one." Dawn said.

"Okay. We'll meet you at the hotel." Brock said.

"Okay!" Dawn chirped. She, Heather and I walked off into a concrete building.

"Wow! This store is huge!" I said.

"Yea. Whoa, look at this one!" Dawn said, running to a purple dress.

"That's pretty." I said, taking it off the hanger and pressing it against myself.

"That would look good on you! And ooh, it sparkles!" Heather said.

"Let's buy it!" Dawn said.

****

After we bought the dress and walked back to the hotel, Dawn ran into the hotel room.

"We're back!" Dawn cried.

"That was quick." Kylee remarked.

"Yea. Wait until you see us!" Heather said. I grabbed some nice sandals, some earrings, and a necklace and ran into the bathroom. After I had changed, I looked into the mirror. _Is that me?_ I wondered. I opened the door and went into the hotel room.

"You look awesome!" Hannah squeaked. I grinned.

"Thanks." I said.

"Wow . . . . . you look really . . . . . nice." Nik said.

"Thanks." I said. Brock let out a little whistle. Croagunk popped out of his pokéball and punched Brock.

"Ack!" Brock cried and fell to the floor. I let out a tiny giggle and turned towards Dawn and Heather, both in their Contest dresses.

"Let's go!" I said.

"Okay! Let's take a cab, though, because we don't want our dresses dirty." Heather said.

"Good idea! Follow me!" Dawn said, skipping out of the room. We followed her. Once we were outside, Dawn hailed a cab.

"Contest hall, please!" she said. We piled in. I was sandwiched between Nik and Hannah. Hannah gave me a big grin. I rolled my eyes.

"Here you are. Now, my fare?" the cab driver asked.

"Yea. Here." Dawn said, handing him a few poké points and getting out of the cab. We walked inside the enormous building.

"This is one big Contest hall!" Kendal exclaimed.

"Yea. It's huge!" Kylee said.

"Hello, welcome to the Contest hall. What can I do for you?" a lady at the desk said.

"Hi! We'd like to enter a Contest!" Dawn said, pointing to me and Heather.

"Your names and the pokémon you'll be using?" The lady asked.

"I'm Dawn from Twinleaf Town, and I'll be using my Piplup." Dawn said.

"I'm Heather, from Motem Town, and I'll be using my Treecko." Heather said.

"I'm Leela, from Motem Town, and I'll be using my Chikorita, nicknamed Chi-chi." I said.

"Okay . . . . . go ahead and enter this door. Your friends will be coming with me." The lady said. Dawn, Heather and I opened the door. We walked inside.

"Wow! We're backstage!" I said.

"What are YOU doing here?" A strangely familiar voice said. I turned around slowly.

"Jordan Mikes. So we meet again." I said.

"Which one of your pathetic pokémon are you using for the contest?" Jordan asked.

"Chi-chi." I said.

"Ha. My Solrock's gonna KO it in the battle round, you just wait." She said. I felt my face get really hot.

"Yea, that's if you even get there!" I spat out.

"Oh believe me, I will get there. And I'll be surprised if you even do." Jordan said. She walked away.

"What a jerk . . . . . ." I muttered.

"Is that your rival?" Dawn asked.

"Yup." I said. I released Chi-chi.

"Okay, the Contest will start now! In your positions!" a man with a gray beard said. We walked onto the stage, Heather and Dawn behind me.

"Okay! Thank you for coming this evening. Let me introduce our contestants! Heather and her Treecko! Dawn and her Piplup! Leela and her Chikorita, Chi-chi! And last, but not least, Jordan and her Solrock! Give them a hand, ladies and gentleman!" the man said. The audience applauded.

"Now for the Visual round! Dress up your pokémon backstage! Ready, set and . . . . go!" the man cried. We all ran backstage. I tied a pink bow around Chi-chi's leaf.

"_Chiko!" _she complained.

"C'mon Chi-chi! Stand still!" I said while trying to sprinkle some glitter on her. Jordan looked at me and gave me an 'oh my gosh you are so pathetic' Look. I childishly stuck my tongue at her. Before she had time to retaliate, the man cried from onstage,

"Time's up! Time to display your pokémon!" I winced and brought Chi-chi onstage.

I looked at everyone's pokémon. They all looked better than Chi-chi, especially Jordan's. I sighed.

"And the winner of the Visual round is . . . . . Jordan!" the man said, unfolding a piece of paper. Jordan proudly tossed her hair back and gave me an 'I told you so' Look. I was fuming.

"Now the Coordinators will battle! However, the pokémon must still manage to look beautiful!" The man announced. _Please, oh please put me with Jordan!! I'll show her a thing or two!_ I thought.

"The lineups are . . . . Heather and Jordan will battle and Dawn and Leela will battle!" the man said. _Drat!_ I thought.

"Okay then. Piplup, BubbleBeam!" Dawn cried. Piplup let loose a bunch of powerful bubbles, somehow managing to do a little pirouette at the same time. They hit Chi-chi, but they barely did any damage.

"Okay Chi-chi, Vine Whip! Then use Razor Leaf!" I called. Chi-chi shot out vines from her back and they snaked around Piplup. Then a cloud of leaves swarmed him. Piplup fainted after the second attack. I hugged Chi-chi.

"Good job!" I said. The audience stood up and applauded.

"Leela is the winner of the first battle!" the man said. I looked at Heather and Jordan.

"Okay Treecko, finish it off with a Mega Drain!" Heather was calling. Treecko focused her eyes on Solrock and drained the last of its health. Solrock fainted. Jordan had a shocked look on her face. _Drat! I SO wanted to battle her!!_ I thought.

"Okay! Jordan and Dawn are out for the count! Now it's just Leela and Heather!" The man said.

"Okay, let's do this thing! Treecko, Quick Attack!" Heather cried.

"Vine Whip it, Chi-chi!" I called. Treecko started dancing left and right. Vines snaked out from Chi-chi's back. They reached for Treecko, but Treecko dodged them and punched Chi-chi.

"Absorb!" Heather cried. I watched helplessly as Treecko drained the last of Chi-chi's health. Chi-chi fell over.

"And the winner of the Contest is Heather! Congratulations! You win a Ribbon, 500 poké points, and a pokémon Egg!" he man said, handing Heather everything. Heather hugged Treecko.

"_Treeeee!" _Treecko called.

"Thank you!" Heather said. She proudly held out her ribbon and Treecko and posed for the camera. "Beat that, Jamie Gill!"

****

After we managed to squeeze past the crowds, we got back to the cab, chatting about the Contest.

"Leela!" Heather said.

"What?" I asked.

"You did a pretty good job with the Contest. Here, you take the Egg. I don't need it." Heather said, handing me the Egg.

"Really?! Thanks!" I said, taking it and putting it in my bag. "I'll take good care of it."

We took a quick stop at the Pokémon Center to heal our pokémon before getting to the hotel.

"Whew! Boy, am I tired!" I said, collapsing on my bed.

"Yea, its pretty late." Erin said.

"What about dinner?" Ash asked.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said. We all turned to Brock.

"Let's get room service." Brock said.

"Okay!" Dawn said, taking her hair down from her ponytail. Brock picked up the phone and dialed. I smiled and took my necklace off. I shook my hair out. I turned around. Nik and Ash were staring at me.

"What?" I asked them.

"Oh . . . . . nothing." They said, both blushing. Brock hung up the phone.

"Pizza's coming!" Brock said.

"Yay!" Ash cheered.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said. I giggled.

"What?" Ash asked.

"Nothing." I said. The doorbell rang. Hannah ran and opened the door.

"Okay, thanks for the pizza!" She chirped.

****

After we ate, everyone went into their separate rooms.

"So what did your mom say when you called her? I mean, besides that we can continue on our journey?" Hannah asked.

"Just that I'm grounded for a year when I get back home." I said glumly.

"Oh." Hannah said. I yawned.

"So what do you like better? Regular battles or Contests?" Heather asked.

"I like regular battling more. I'm going to be a pokémon Master, like Ash!" I said.

"OooooOOOOOooooh!" Heather said. "You not only like him, you look up to him!"

"Of course I do!" I snapped.

"So he's your rival too?" Erin asked.

"Yea. I'm going to beat him, too!" I said. "I'm going to bed now. Good night!"


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter Forty: The Fire

"Wake up!" Someone said. I groaned and opened my eyes.

"What is it now, Mewtwo?" I asked.

"Your friends are in danger!" he said.

"I know that already! As well as my life, and the fate of the entire universe!" I said. Mewtwo slapped his forehead with his paw.

"No! I mean they're in danger right now!" Mewtwo said.

"Huh?" I asked. Suddenly, a black smoke filled the room.

"Wake up, Leela!" Mewtwo said, an extremely worried look on his face. Suddenly, some sirens started beeping.

****

I jolted awake. Or . . . . was I awake? The sirens were still beeping and smoke was filling the room. Then I understood.

"Oh Arceus . . . . . GUYS, WAKE UP! FIRE!!!" I screamed.

"What the- OMIGOSH!!!" Heather screamed, waking up.

"AHHHH!" Hannah screamed.

"Come on, guys! Pull it together! Just because we're in a burning building doesn't mean we're going to die!" Erin said.

"Erin's right. Stop screaming and wake up everyone!" I said. I ran into the boys' room. "Guys, wake up NOW!! FIRE!!!!"

"Huh? Fire Spin, Fire type?" Nik asked, blinking awake. Then he saw the smoke. "Oh Arceus . . . . . !"

"Wake everyone up! We have to get out of here!" I said.

"Okay!" Nik said. He started shaking Garrison. I dashed out of the room. Hannah was leading all of my sister's friends out of their room, coughing. Nik came out of the boys' room with everyone behind him.

"Let's get out of here!" Brock coughed. Suddenly, some of the ceiling came down.

"AHHHH!" we all screamed. It fell on top of me. I was about to throw it off when I realized it was still connected to the ceiling. If I threw it off, the whole ceiling would come down on my friends.

"Go on without me!" I said. "I'll be okay . . . just go!" Ash came over to me.

"I'll never forget you . . . . . ." he said.

"_Pika . . . ." _Pikachu said.

"No time for sad good-byes!! Run, and don't look back! I won't be able to hold this up much longer!" I said. Ash nodded, tears in his eyes. He opened the door. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Dawn, Jeni, Kieran, Banana Split, Kendal, and Kylee ran through the door.

"What the heck are you guys waiting for?? RUN!!" I screamed at Heather, Hannah, Nik and Garrison. Erin, Heather, and Hannah scampered out of the room.

"No." Nik said firmly. "I'm not leaving you."

"NIK!!!!! It's your only hope!!! Just leave me here . . . . . . . I'll be fine . . . . . . ." I said, going into a coughing fit.

Garrison yanked Nik out of the room by the wrist. Once I was sure they were far enough away, I ran out from underneath the piece of ceiling, holding my bag to my chest. The entire ceiling came crumbling down. I ran as fast as I could out of the room. I wasn't paying any attention to where I was running. Suddenly, I tripped over a rock.

I landed heavily on the floor. I could hear the floorboards starting to crack under my weight. I tried to push myself back on my feet, but I had gotten too weak.

"Unngh . . . . ." I groaned. _Now I die_, I thought. Suddenly, someone came in through the smoke.

"NIKOLAI?! You came back for me?" I asked.

"Of course I did! You know how much I . . . ." Nik said, suddenly stopping.

"You what?" I asked.

"Nothing. Save your breath. Let's get out of here!" Nik said, pulling me to my feet. Nik pulled me through the flaming building. Suddenly, I felt my knees buckle.

"NIK!" I yelled, crashing to the ground.

"Lee! Are you okay??" He asked.

"Unnnnngh. Can't . . . . . . . get . . . . . . . . up . . . . . . . . ." I groaned. Nik gently picked me up and started running. It wasn't long before Nik was starting to slow down and cough a lot more violently.

"Nik . . . . . . . ." I started.

"NO! I'm not abandoning you! I'm fine!" Nik said, when it was obvious he wasn't. The roar of the fire was getting quieter and quieter, and I was having trouble keeping my eyes open.

"Nik . . . . . . . ." I said weakly.

"No, Leela! Oh no . . . . . don't leave me! Stay awake!" Nik said.

"I'm trying . . . . ." I said and started wheezing.

"Come on . . . . just a little bit longer . . . . we'll be out of here soon . . . . just stay awake . . . ." Nik said. I felt myself go limp and everything went black.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter Forty: The Fire

"Wake up!" Someone said. I groaned and opened my eyes.

"What is it now, Mewtwo?" I asked.

"Your friends are in danger!" he said.

"I know that already! As well as my life, and the fate of the entire universe!" I said. Mewtwo slapped his forehead with his paw.

"No! I mean they're in danger right now!" Mewtwo said.

"Huh?" I asked. Suddenly, a black smoke filled the room.

"Wake up, Leela!" Mewtwo said, an extremely worried look on his face. Suddenly, some sirens started beeping.

****

I jolted awake. Or . . . . was I awake? The sirens were still beeping and smoke was filling the room. Then I understood.

"Oh Arceus . . . . . GUYS, WAKE UP! FIRE!!!" I screamed.

"What the- OMIGOSH!!!" Heather screamed, waking up.

"AHHHH!" Hannah screamed.

"Come on, guys! Pull it together! Just because we're in a burning building doesn't mean we're going to die!" Erin said.

"Erin's right. Stop screaming and wake up everyone!" I said. I ran into the boys' room. "Guys, wake up NOW!! FIRE!!!!"

"Huh? Fire Spin, Fire type?" Nik asked, blinking awake. Then he saw the smoke. "Oh Arceus . . . . . !"

"Wake everyone up! We have to get out of here!" I said.

"Okay!" Nik said. He started shaking Garrison. I dashed out of the room. Hannah was leading all of my sister's friends out of their room, coughing. Nik came out of the boys' room with everyone behind him.

"Let's get out of here!" Brock coughed. Suddenly, some of the ceiling came down.

"AHHHH!" we all screamed. It fell on top of me. I was about to throw it off when I realized it was still connected to the ceiling. If I threw it off, the whole ceiling would come down on my friends.

"Go on without me!" I said. "I'll be okay . . . just go!" Ash came over to me.

"I'll never forget you . . . . . ." he said.

"_Pika . . . ." _Pikachu said.

"No time for sad good-byes!! Run, and don't look back! I won't be able to hold this up much longer!" I said. Ash nodded, tears in his eyes. He opened the door. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Dawn, Jeni, Kieran, Banana Split, Kendal, and Kylee ran through the door.

"What the heck are you guys waiting for?? RUN!!" I screamed at Heather, Hannah, Nik and Garrison. Erin, Heather, and Hannah scampered out of the room.

"No." Nik said firmly. "I'm not leaving you."

"NIK!!!!! It's your only hope!!! Just leave me here . . . . . . . I'll be fine . . . . . . ." I said, going into a coughing fit.

Garrison yanked Nik out of the room by the wrist. Once I was sure they were far enough away, I ran out from underneath the piece of ceiling, holding my bag to my chest. The entire ceiling came crumbling down. I ran as fast as I could out of the room. I wasn't paying any attention to where I was running. Suddenly, I tripped over a rock.

I landed heavily on the floor. I could hear the floorboards starting to crack under my weight. I tried to push myself back on my feet, but I had gotten too weak.

"Unngh . . . . ." I groaned. _Now I die_, I thought. Suddenly, someone came in through the smoke.

"NIKOLAI?! You came back for me?" I asked.

"Of course I did! You know how much I . . . ." Nik said, suddenly stopping.

"You what?" I asked.

"Nothing. Save your breath. Let's get out of here!" Nik said, pulling me to my feet. Nik pulled me through the flaming building. Suddenly, I felt my knees buckle.

"NIK!" I yelled, crashing to the ground.

"Lee! Are you okay??" He asked.

"Unnnnngh. Can't . . . . . . . get . . . . . . . . up . . . . . . . . ." I groaned. Nik gently picked me up and started running. It wasn't long before Nik was starting to slow down and cough a lot more violently.

"Nik . . . . . . . ." I started.

"NO! I'm not abandoning you! I'm fine!" Nik said, when it was obvious he wasn't. The roar of the fire was getting quieter and quieter, and I was having trouble keeping my eyes open.

"Nik . . . . . . . ." I said weakly.

"No, Leela! Oh no . . . . . don't leave me! Stay awake!" Nik said.

"I'm trying . . . . ." I said and started wheezing.

"Come on . . . . just a little bit longer . . . . we'll be out of here soon . . . . just stay awake . . . ." Nik said. I felt myself go limp and everything went black.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter Forty-One: Three New Pokémon

"Leeeeeeeelaaaaaa . . . ." A ghostly voice said.

"Huh? What? What's going on . . . AHHH! Darkrai!" I cried. "What are you doing here? Am I dead?"

"No, you are very much alive. If not for Nikolai, though, you would probably be dead." Someone said. I whirled around.

"Mewtwo!" I said. "Thanks for warning me about the fire."

"Don't mention it." Mewtwo said.

"But . . . ."

"No, really, don't. I probably shouldn't have." Mewtwo said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Can't tell you." Mewtwo said. I sighed and stood up.

"What's this?" I asked, holding up the gem I had in my pocket. Mewtwo and Darkrai's eyes nearly popped out of their skulls.

"Where . . . . you . . . . find?" Darkrai grunted.

"Tell me what it is, then I'll tell you where I found it." I said stubbornly.

"Very well. It's Arceus's Seeker Jewel." Mewtwo said.

"What does it do?" I asked.

"Tell us where you found it, then we'll tell you what it does." Mewtwo said.

"Very well." I said, imitating Mewtwo.

"Not funny." Mewtwo snorted.

"I found it in an alley, Marduk was looking for it." I said.

"Oh NO!" Darkrai said.

"The Seeker Jewel can show you anyone, or anything, in the universe. Arceus uses it to keep the world in balance." Mewtwo said.

"So the world is imbalanced right now?" I asked.

"No, but it will be if I don't get this to Arceus right away." Mewtwo said.

"Here, take it then!" I said, holding the Seeker Jewel out to Mewtwo. Mewtwo shook his head and gently closed my hand around the Seeker Jewel.

"I cannot afford to transport something so precious out of this dream. We must wait until we meet in person. Until then, keep the gem safe at all costs. Keep it out of plain sight. Smuggle it in your bag, have one of your pokémon hold it, whatever. Just keep it out of insert villain name here's hands and everything will be fine." Mewtwo said. I looked down at the jewel then up at Mewtwo's face. I nodded fiercely.

"I will." I said.

"Darkrai and I must go now. Take extremely good care of the Seeker Jewel. It is more powerful than you can ever imagine." Mewtwo said. Mewtwo let go of my hands and flew up into the sky with Darkrai. I watched them go. I saw a glint of white light in the distance.

"Huh?" I asked. Suddenly, it flared up and engulfed me in a sea of white light.

****

I blinked my eyes open.

"Unnngh . . ." I groaned. I was in a hospital room. I had an oxygen mask on my face and an IV in my arm.

"She's awake!" Someone said. I rubbed my eyes.

"Heather!" I said.

"Oh thank Arceus you're alive . . . geez, you're amazing. First you survive this freak storm and now this happens . . . . ." Heather said and hugged me. When she let go, I pulled out the Seeker Jewel from my pocket and told her about my dream.

"Wow! That's quite a dream. Well, we'll be able to keep it safe. Mewtwo can count on us!" Heather said, winking at me. I grinned.

"Where is everyone else anyway?" I asked.

"In the cafeteria eating lunch. Well, except for Garrison. He's with Nikolai." Heather said.

"Nik! Oh Arceus . . . . . he risked his life to save me . . . . IS HE OKAY?!" I asked Heather urgently.

"He's still out cold. The doctors are sure he'll live. It's you everyone was worried about." Heather said. I sunk down in my bed with relief. Suddenly, the door burst open.

"Heather! Nik just woke up! Oh, Leela!! You're awake!" Garrison said.

"Yup, I've managed to escape death once again." I said heroically. We all laughed. "Seriously though, how's Nik? I HAVE to see him!"

"Well, he just woke up. They took the oxygen mask off him and . . . ." Garrison didn't finish. A nurse came into the room.

"Oh! You're awake! Well, all I can say to you, sister, is that you're really lucky to be alive. How do you feel?" The nurse asked.

"Fine." I answered truthfully.

"I'll take off the oxygen mask and IV, then." She said. She took the oxygen mask off my face and the IV out of my arm.

"Thanks. Can I please see my friend?" I asked.

"The young man who saved you? Yes, of course." The nurse said.

"I'll take her to see him." Heather said.

"Okay." The nurse said. I got out of bed and walked out of the hospital room with Heather.

"Leela, you can't say that rushing into a burning building to save you was friendly concern on Nik's part." Heather said once we were out of the room.

"Whatever, I just need to see him." I said. Heather gave me a big smile and opened the door.

"Nik! Nik! Are you okay?!" I asked, running to his bedside.

"I'm fine." Nik said and laughed. I hugged him.

"I'm so glad . . . . . I owe you my life . . . . ." I said.

"I'm glad you're okay too . . . . I was so worried when you lost consciousness . . . . I thought you were gone . . . ." Nik said. We let go of each other.

"Well, we're both okay." I said.

"Yes. It's a miracle." Nik said, shaking his head. I nodded. I instinctively stuck my hand in my pocket.

"Oh . . . . Nik . . . . I have to tell you something." I said.

"Shoot away." Nik said. I told him about my dream.

"Geez, wow. That's amazing. Well, I'm sure we can keep the gem safe." Nik said. I nodded.

"We have to. Mewtwo is counting on us!" I said. The door flew open.

"Leela! Nikolai! You're awake!" Erin said. Erin hugged me.

"Hey guys!" I said.

"Are you okay?!" Brock asked. I laughed.

"I'm fine." I said.

"Yea, me too." Nik said. Brock hugged Nik and I.

"I'm glad you're okay!" Brock said. I giggled. Brock released us and I was overwhelmed with hugs.

"It's good to be aliiiiiiiiive!" I said.

"Yea." Nik said.

"Okay! I've checked you out of the hospital! Let's go!" Dawn said, skipping into the room. We ran out of the hotel and got onto our bikes.

"Okay, so where are we going now?" Jeni asked.

"Wildfire City, of course!" I said.

"Aren't you going to tell everyone about your dream?" Heather asked. We stopped abruptly.

"What dream?" Ash asked worriedly, looking at me. I told everyone.

"Whoa!" Dawn said.

"The Seeker Jewel? Never heard of it." Brock said.

"I might've heard it from somewhere . . . . ." Ash said.

"TRY TO REMEMBER!" Hannah said.

"I'm trying!" Ash snapped at her.

"Whew! We're finally out of the city limits!" Kendal said, changing the subject.

"Yea. Hey, look! It's the Wailmer from the watch!" Heather said. Sure enough, the same Wailmer was sitting in the water, watching me.

"I think it wants to go with you, Leela." Ash said. I walked down to the Wailmer.

"You want to come?" I asked.

"_Waiiiiiiil!" _the Wailmer said. I grinned and threw a pokéball. Wailmer nearly jumped into it. I thrust the pokéball up in victory.

"Yes! Your name's Wally." I said, looking down at the pokéball. I put Spirit in the PC and we walked on.

"I can't believe that Wailmer liked you so much!" Jeni said.

"Yea, me neither." I said.

"Let's take a break." Ash said.

"ASH! We've been biking all of five minutes!" I said.

"Well, I'm hungry!" Ash said.

"We'll stop and have a snack." Brock said and handed us each a bag.

"_Vulpix!"_ Something said. I turned around, but there was nothing there.

"Huh? I could've sworn I heard a Vulpix . . . ." I said.

"Weird." Hannah said. I set my trail mix down on the ground and leaned against a tree.

"_Vul . . . ." _Something said. I turned around. My trail mix was gone.

"Where's my mix?" I asked.

"I don't know." Kendal said. I heard some crunching. I slowly turned to the other side of the tree. There was a Vulpix, eating my trail mix!

"_Vulpahx!" _She cried and ran behind a bush. I picked up the bag.

"Come back . . . . . it's okay. You don't have to run . . . . I'm not mad that you stole my trail mix. You're just hungry, aren't you?" I asked.

"_Vulpix?" _Vulpix said, slowly coming out from behind the bush.

"There, that's a good little pokémon!" I said, scratching the Vulpix's head and feeding her some of my trail mix.

"_Vuuuuulpix!" _Vulpix said, rubbing her head against my knee.

"Looks like you found another friend." Kieran said. I grinned.

"All right, Vulpix, want to come with me?" I asked.

"_Vuuuuuul!" _Vulpix said.

"Okay . . . pokéball, go!" I said. I threw a pokéball. Vulpix got sucked in. Once the ball had successfully captured her, Vulpix sprang out of the ball, hanging onto my shoulder.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"_Vuuuuuul . . ." _Vulpix said.

"Oh, you don't like the pokéball, right?" I said. Vulpix shook her head. "Well, I don't see why you ever have to go into it . . . . . Roxy . . . .!" I said. Vulpix gave me a questioning look.

"Roxy! That's your name!" I said.

"_Vuuuuuulpix . . . ." _Roxy said.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu said. I laughed. I sent Chi-chi to the PC.

"Let's get going!" Ash said. I put Roxy in my bike basket and we went on.

****

We biked for a few hours before the sun started sinking in the sky.

"Let's break for the day. I'm really tired." Dawn said.

"Yea, me too. And I'm hungry!" Ash said.

"Okay, I'll make a fire." Brock said.

"I'll pitch the tents. Heather, want to help?" Garrison asked.

"Yea!" Heather said eagerly.

"_Vuuuuuulpix!" _Roxy said, making little kissy faces. I grinned.

"Hey, Leela!" Jeni said.

"What?" I asked.

"Let's play Spin!" Jeni said.

"Uh . . . . . . what's that?" I asked.

"You spin!" Jeni said, grabbing my hands and spinning around. "See?"

"_Pika!"_ Pikachu said.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said. Pikachu took Roxy's paws and started spinning. Suddenly, Jeni let go of my hands.

"Dah!" I cried and hit the ground. "Ouuuuch . . . . what'd you do that for?!"

"Wasn't that fun?" Jeni asked in between laughs.

"Sure was." I said sarcastically, rubbing my back and getting up. Pikachu and Roxy were still twirling around. Suddenly, Roxy fell over and Pikachu toppled right on top of her. Pikachu immidiently stood up and helped Roxy to her feet, blushing furiously. I grinned and calmly walked over to Brock.

"Having trouble?" I asked.

"No. I'm fine." Brock said, rubbing two sticks together.

"You sure? Because I could just call Roxy over." I said,.

"I can do it." Brock said.

"Okay . . . ." I said. I ran over to Heather and Garrison. "You guys need help?"

"Nope!" They chirped.

"Okay." I said.

"Hey, Leela! Want to go out and catch some pokémon??" Nik asked.

"Sure!" I said.

"Let's go this way." Nik said and stepped into the long grass.

"Okay." I said. I followed him. Nik released his Chimchar.

"_Chimchar!" _Chimchar said. Then he saw Roxy. _"Chiiiiiiimchar!" _Chimchar said again, an infatuated look in his eyes. I raised my eyebrows. I remembered what Professor Oak of Kanto had said when he had visited us at school: 'The feelings of pokémon often reflect the feelings of their Trainers'." I looked at Nik. He was looking in the long grass.

"Nik, what's wrong?" I asked, touching his shoulder.

"Nothing. I thought I saw a pokémon." Nik said, shaking his head. Suddenly, an Azurill popped out of the long grass. My mouth dropped open. Azurills were extremely rare.

"Roxy, Quick Attack!!!" I cried.

"Mach Punch, Chimchar!" Nik cried. Roxy and Chimchar advanced toward the Azurill. Roxy quickly tackled the Azurill while Chimchar punched it. In panic, the Azurill dashed behind a bush.

"Pokéball, go!" Nik and I cried and each threw a pokéball. We heard a click. We dashed behind the bush. Two pokéballs lay on the forest floor, one holding the captured Azurill. Nik and I looked at each other.

"Do you remember which one is mine?" I asked.

"Um . . . no." Nik said.

"How are we supposed to know who gets Azurill?" I asked.

"I know! We'll battle! The winner will get Azurill." Nik said.

"Three on three?" I asked.

"Sure, that'll work. I'll choose first. Luxio, go!" Nik cried, throwing a pokéball.

"Trouble, I choose you!" I said, throwing my pokéball.

"Luxio, Spark!" Nik cried. Luxio ran up to Trouble and zapped him. Trouble howled in pain and rage. He blew a stream of sparks and Luxio.

"TROUBLE! I didn't say start!" I said, wincing. The fire hit Luxio, sending him flying backwards.

"Luxio, do it again!" Nik cried.

"Trouble, evade it!" I said. Trouble stayed put and Luxio zapped him again. Trouble fell backwards.

"Yea, Luxio!" Nik cried, hugging Luxio.

"It's okay Trouble, don't worry about it." I said. We put our pokémon back in their pokéballs.

"Chimchar, your turn!" Nik said. Chimchar stepped in front of Nik.

"Roxy, go!" I said. Roxy jumped in front of me. The infatuated look in Chimchar's eyes returned.

"Chimchar, Mach Punch!" Nik called. Chimchar didn't move an inch. Nik looked really surprised.

"Roxy, Quick Attack!" I cried. Roxy dashed up to Chimchar and quickly tackled him.

"Come on, Chimchar!! Mach Punch!" Nik said. Chimchar still didn't move.

"Finish it off with a Flamethrower!" I said. Roxy breathed fire all over Chimchar. Chimchar kneeled over.

"Nice job, Roxy!" I said and hugged her.

"Chimchar, it's okay. You did your best." Nik said. Chimchar went back into his pokéball. Nik grabbed another from his belt. "Okay Ponyta, win this for me!"

"Curly-Q, go!" I cried. Curly-Q and Nik's Ponyta appeared.

"Ponyta, Ember!" Nik cried. Ponyta spat out embers at Curly-Q. Curly-Q nimbly dodged them.

"Egg Bomb!" I cried. Curly-Q threw an egg at Ponyta and it blew up.

"_Poooooony!"_ Ponyta cried.

"Ponyta, Stomp!" Nik cried. Ponyta ran to Curly-Q and tried to step on her, but Curly-Q again dodged the attack.

"Egg Bomb again!" I cried. Curly-Q threw another egg at Ponyta and it blew up. Ponyta went flying backwards. It lay still.

"Hooray!" I cried and hugged Curly-Q.

"_Happi!" _Curly-Q cried. Suddenly, she started glowing.

"She's evolving!" I cried.

"What?!" Nik asked, making sure his Ponyta was alright.

"Curly-Q's evolving!" I repeated. After she had stopped glowing, she was almost twice her size, turned pink, and the little curl of hair was gone.

"She's a Chansey!" Nik gasped.

"_Chansey! Chansey! Chaaaaansey!" _Curly-Q cried happily. I hugged her again. Then I recalled her.

"_Vulpix." _Roxy said quietly.

"Well, you definitely beat me. Here, the Azurill's yours." Nik said, handing me the pokéball.

"Thanks! His name's Bouncer." I said. I quickly put Wally in my PC and walked back to camp with Nik, who had revived all of his pokémon. When we got back, the tents were all up and Brock was giving everyone a bowl of stew.

"Thanks, Brock." I said as he spooned some stew into my bowl.

"No problemo." Brock said. I smiled and went over to sit with Erin, Hannah, and Heather.

"Welcome back! Did you catch anything?" Heather asked.

"An Azurill. I named him Bouncer." I said.

"An AZURILL?!" Erin asked in surprise.

"Yup." I said and held up the pokéball.

"Awesome!" Hannah said.

"Did Nik catch anything?" Heather asked.

"No. Well, he sort of helped me catch Bouncer." I said.

"How?" Hannah asked. She obviously wanted to know all of the details. I told them everything.

"Oh, awesome! I can't believe Curly-Q evolved!" Heather said.

"Me neither." I said.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said.

"Go play with Pikachu." I told her. Roxy dashed off, looking for Pikachu. I laughed.

"Roxy really likes Pikachu, huh?" Hannah asked.

"Uh . . . . yes." I said cautiously.

"Like Heather's Treecko likes Garrison's Piplup!" Erin said teasingly.

"Shut up!" Heather said, laughing playfully. We all started giggling.

"What are you laughing about?" Jeni asked.

"Nothing." I said.

"Come on, tell me!" Jeni said.

"Nope, not telling! I'm going into our tent." I said.

"Okay." Hannah said. I walked into the tent and rummaged through my bag. I pulled out the pokémon Egg. It was really warm and smooth. It shook a little. _Being in the fire must've sped up the incubation process_, I thought. I released Curly-Q.

"_Chansey?" _she asked. I handed her the Egg.

"Keep this Egg safe." I said.

"_Chansey!" _ Curly-Q said. She took the Egg and put it in her pouch.

"Thanks a lot, Curly-Q. Return!" I said. Curly-Q went back in her pokéball.

"Hey!" Dawn said, suddenly opening the flap of the tent.

"Whuh?! Oh, you scared me." I said.

"Sorry. We're stargazing! Want to come with us?" Dawn asked.

"Oh, sure!" I said. I walked outside and lay on the grass between Ash and Erin.

"The stars are really pretty tonight, huh?" Ash asked.

"Oh, yea. I wish Greenalia was here." Brock said and sighed sadly. A small smile crept over Erin's face. I could tell she was thinking about Darkaroe.

"_Vuuuulpix!" _ Roxy said. She was lying in the grass between Pikachu and Nikolai's Chimchar, who still had the infatuated look in his eyes.

"_Pika . . ." _Pikachu said.

"Geez, it's eight o' clock! We'd better get to sleep now if we're going to get moving in the morning." I said.

"Good idea." Heather said and yawned. "It's been a big day."

"Yea. Good night." I said.

"We'll stay out here for a little while." Nik and Garrison said.

"Okay." Erin said. After we said good-night to everyone, I climbed into my sleeping bag with Roxy. I fell asleep with her warm, furry body against mine.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter Forty-Three: Duh . . . duh . . . DRAGONITE!!!

A few hours later, I looked worridly at the rapidly darkening sky.

"I don't think we'll make it to Wildfire City tonight. It's pretty dark already." Brock said.

"Look out!" Dawn cried. We all ducked as a huge pokémon flew overhead. It landed in front of us.

"Duh . . . . duh . . . . duh . . . . DRAGONITE!!!!!" We cried. The Dragonite winked at us. It reached into a mail pouch it was carrying and took out two envelopes. It handed one to me and one to Ash.

"Thanks." I said. Ash and I ripped open the envelopes. Inside was a card. I read it. It said:

****************************************

_Leela Locke_

_Is invited to an Elite Four Meet and Greet_

_Place: Wildfire City Town Hall _

_Time: November 17, 8:30 pm_

_*****************************************_

_Dress__formal__. _

I stared at the invitation in amazement. An Elite Four Meet and Greet?? I turned to Ash.

"I don't have anything formal!" He groaned.

"You could buy something." Dawn said.

"The 17th?! That's tomorrow!" I said.

"We'd better get moving." Nik said. I flipped the card around. There was Yes and No with boxes next to them.

"Well, this must be the RSPV. Should we go?" I asked Ash.

"Of course!" Ash said. "This is the Mothemm Elite Four we're talking about!" I smiled.

"Anybody got a pen?" I asked. Kieran tossed me a pen. I smiled and checked off the box next to yes. Then I handed the pen to Ash.

"This is going to be great!" Ash said and checked off the box next to yes. We handed the cards to Dragonite. It grunted and flew off. Ash and I looked at each other, huge grins on our faces.

"Let's try our best to get to Wildfire City tonight." Brock said.

"Yea! Let's go!" I said.

"All right, that's what I'm talking about!" Ash cried and we set off down the road.

****

Half an hour later, we were in a hotel right near the town hall and a place Ash would go tomorrow to rent a tux.

"Aaaaah." I said, stretching out on my bed.

"Tired?" Hannah asked.

"Yea. And surprised." I said.

"About what?" Heather asked.

"How I got an invitation to the Elite Four Meet and Greet. I mean, Ash Ketchum, he's, like, defeated the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh leagues. It'd make sense to invite him. But why me? How'd they know about me?" I said.

"You were in the newspaper." Erin said.

"Oh yea, that's right, I was." I said.

"_Vulpix!" _ Roxy said, jumping up on the bed next to me. I laughed and stroked her ears.

"Well, it'll be another late night tomorrow. We'd better get to sleep." I said.

"Yea, for you and Ash anyway. You're so lucky . . . . ." Heather said.

"I know! Well, good night." I said.

"Good night!" Everyone said. I pulled the covers over my head. Before long, I had drifted off to sleep.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter Forty-Four: Next Gym Leader . . . . . Flarea!

"Leela!" Someone said.

"Leave me alone, Mewtwo, I need my rest." I groaned. Mewtwo sighed. "I understand, but . . . . there is someone potentially dangerous following you and looking for the Seeker Jewel. Keep it as secure as possible." Mewtwo said. I opened my eyes.

"Why don't you just come and get it.?" I asked.

"It's too dangerous for me." Mewtwo said.

"What could possibly endanger you??" I asked. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared. Mewtwo whirled around.

"Oh, no, no! NO! I wasn't doing anything! I swear, I'm innocent!" Mewtwo cried. There was a neigh. Arceus appeared! It stared at Mewtwo. Mewtwo lifted off the ground.

"Unngh . . . gah . . . let . . . me . . . go . . ." Mewtwo choked. He passed out. Arceus turned away from Mewtwo. Mewtwo crashed to the floor. I gasped. Arceus turned to me. I gulped. Arceus reared up and whinnied. Then everything went white.

****

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed, jolting awake. I looked around. Everyone else was sleeping. I winced. Suddenly, there was a scream from the boy's room.

"Ash!" I whispered. I leaped out of bed and touched the doorknob. The door didn't fly open. I slowly opened the door. Ash was sitting up in his bed, his eyes wide open. "Ash!" I whispered again. Ash whirled around.

"Leela!" he said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you scream." I said. Ash turned red.

"Oh yea . . . I had another dream . . ." Ash said.

"Me too. I can't remember it though . . . . all I remember is a flash of light." I said.

"Hey, me too!" Ash said.

"Weird . . . ." I said.

"_Pi . . . ." _ Pikachu said, opening one eye. Ash grinned.

"Good morning, Pikachu!" he said.

"_Pika pi!" _ Pikachu said, getting up. Ash rubbed Pikachu's ears. I smiled. Something pawed at the back of my leg. I turned around. Roxy was behind me.

"_Vulpix!" _ Roxy said. I smiled and picked her up.

"Good morning Roxy. Did I wake you up?" I said.

"_Vuuuuuuul . . . . ." _Roxy said and yawned. I grinned and stroked her head. She yawned again and fell fast asleep in my arms.

"She really likes you." Ash remarked.

"Yea." I said and patted her head. Ash yawned.

"It's still pretty early; I might go back to sleep." Ash said.

"Okay, I'll leave. Bye." I said. I shut the door. I gently laid Roxy on my bed and I sat next to her. I pulled out the Seeker Jewel from my pocket and looked at it. It was back to its normal pink, purple, and blue coloring. I frowned and squinted at the gem. A chill went through me. I felt goose bumps pop up on my skin. Suddenly, a searing pain went through my head.

"Auuugh!" I screamed. I started shaking uncontrollably.

"Huh? What? Leela! Leela, are you okay??" Erin asked, waking up and running to me. I managed to let out a groan. Erin took the gem out of my hands.

"Aaaaaah . . . ." I said and went limp.

"Are you okay?" Erin asked again. I blinked a few times.

"I think so." I said.

"Were you looking at the Seeker Jewel?" Erin asked.

"Yea. I stared into the gem for a few minutes. Then I felt a chill and a searing pain through my head." I said. "Please don't tell anyone about this; it'll just worry everyone, especially Nik."

"Okay." Erin said regretfully. Ash burst through the door.

"Everyone okay? I heard someone scream." Ash said.

"Nope. It must've been your imagination." I said.

"_Pikachu chu!" _Pikachu said, hopping on Ash's shoulder.

"Well, okay . . . ." Ash said. He walked back into the boy's room.

"That was close." Erin said.

"What was close?" Hannah's voice asked.

"Uh . . . . . nothing!" I said quickly. I wondered how much she had heard. Hannah yawned and stretched.

"You're gonna do some big things tonight! You should get moving." Heather said, getting up.

"Good morning." Erin said. I grinned.

"I can't wait to meet the Elite!" I said.

"Especially with Ash." Erin teased.

"Bet you're wondering how he looks in a tux!" Hannah teased.

"I am NOT!" I said and whacked Hannah with a pillow. "It's not like a date or anything."

"It kinda is." Heather said.

"We both just . . . . coincidently got invited! He didn't ask me to go with him!" I said.

"You're both getting dressed all fancy." Erin said.

"SO?!" I asked. Suddenly, Dawn burst into the room.

"Hey!" she said. "Good morning! Everyone in my room is bouncing off the walls!" I looked into Dawn's room. Sure enough, Jeni, Kylee, Kendal, and Banana Split were jumping all over the beds.

"Wow." I said. Suddenly, the boys walked in. Erin looked extremely embarrassed that Darkaroe was seeing her in her pajamas.

"Good morning, guys!" Nik said cheerfully.

"_Pika pika!" _Pikachu said.

"You guys almost ready for breakfast?" Ash asked.

"Ash Ketchum, if you haven't noticed, we're still in our pajamas." Hannah said, sounding annoyed.

"Oh. Yea. Okay." Ash said, suddenly blushing.

"_Pika . . . ." _ Pikachu said, slapping his forehead.

****

After we were ready, we quickly ate breakfast and walked out of the hotel.

"Hey, let's go to the Gym today!" Ash said.

"Yea! I need my badge!" I said.

"Can't we go tomorrow?" Darkaroe asked.

"NO!!!!!" Ash and I shouted.

"Okay, okay, geez." Darkaroe said.

"Where is it?" I asked.

"I dunno." Kieran said.

"Right there!" Darkaroe said.

"Dah!" Garrison, Heather, Hannah, Erin, Nik, Ash and I cried in surprise. The building looked like it was burning! Darkaroe started laughing.

"Just you wait until you get inside!" Darkaroe said. I nervously opened the door.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu cried.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy cried. Even inside the building still looked like it was burning. I winced and carefully stepped into the building, my friends right behind me.

"Boo!" Jeni suddenly shrieked.

"AAAAHHHHH!" We all screamed. Ash and I frantically grabbed each other. Jeni was laughing hysterically. Ash and I's faces turned bright red. We quickly let go of each other.

"I so got you . . . . . ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!" Jeni laughed. Ash clenched his hands in fists. He was about to yell something when I grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

"Don't pay any attention to her. Let's go find Flarea." I said.

****

Once we had defeated all the other Trainers in the Gym, we had come to a red door.

"Flarea must be behind that door." I said, narrowing my eyes. I looked at Ash.

"I'm going in first." Ash said. He ran through the door.

"Ash, be . . . . . awwww, never mind." Dawn said. I grinned.

"Man, it sure is hot in here." Nik said, wiping this forehead with the back of his arm.

"Yea." I said.

"_Vuuuuulpix!" _ Roxy said.

"I wonder if Ash'll win?" Nik asked.

"Eh, he probably will. But he definitely wasn't ALWAYS that way. In fact, he was downright awful when he first started." Brock said. I laughed.

"I guess sometime it takes time for talent to show . . . . . huh?" I said. My PokéGear was ringing. I looked at my PokéGear. I sighed and pressed the talk button. "Hi Mom." I said.

"How are you doing??? Are you still in the hospital??? Where are you???" Mom asked.

"Mom, I'm fine, and so are all of my friends. And I'm at the Wildfire City Gym. Oh, here comes Ash. Got to go. Bye!" I said, hanging up before Mom could respond.

"The battle was great!" Ash said, proudly showing off his brand-new badge.

"My turn!" I said. I walked into the door. Inside was a woman at least in her late twenties. She had flaming red hair that went past her shoulders and deep brown eyes. She winked at me.

"So you're Ash's girlfriend, huh?" She asked.

"What?! No!" I said, blushing.

"Just kidding, just kidding." Flarea said, grinning. "What's with your Vulpix out of its ball?"

"She hates her pokéball, like Ash's Pikachu." I said firmly.

"Very well. Enough talk. Let's battle! Growlithe, go!" Flarea called, throwing a pokéball. A Growlithe appeared.

"Curly-Q, go!" I cried, throwing Curly-Q's pokéball. Curly-Q popped out of her pokéball.

"A Chansey, huh? Well this should be easy. Growlithe, Fire Fang!" Flarea called. Growlithe ran up to Curly-Q and bit her, flames coming from its teeth. I gasped.

"Curly-Q, Egg Bomb now!" I cried. Curly-Q threw an egg at the assaulting Growlithe and the egg blew up in its face. Growlithe went flying backwards and hit the wall.

"Growlithe, Return!" Flarea called.

"Yes, that was great, Curly-Q!" I squealed and hugged her.

"_Chansey!" _ Curly-Q said happily. Curly-Q went back into her pokéball.

"How am I doing, Flarea?" I asked.

"Not bad. I choose you, Magmar!" Flarea called, throwing a pokéball.

"Roxy, I choose you!" I shouted. Roxy stepped in front of me.

"The Vulpix?! Are you out of your mind?!" Flarea laughed.

"I'm fighting fire with fire! Roxy, Fire Spin!" I yelled. Roxy breathed a little bit of fire. It landed in front of Magmar, then it flared up into a huge fire tornado!

"Magmar, Flamethrower!" Flarea called. Magmar let loose a jet of fire at Roxy.

"Roxy, dodge it! Then use Fire Fang!" I shouted. Roxy jumped out of the way of the jet of fire and ran back to Magmar and bit it, sparks flying from Roxy's teeth. The Magmar howled in pain.

"Magmar, Flamethrower again!" Flarea called.

"Roxy, Quick Attack!!" I shouted. Magmar breathed another jet of fire at Roxy, but Roxy quickly dodged it and slammed against Magmar. Magmar fell backward and didn't get up.

"Magmar, Return!" Flarea called. Magmar went back into its pokéball.

"Yea, that was great, Roxy!" I cried, hugging her.

"_Vul vulpix!" _Roxy squeaked. She proudly stepped back to my side.

"Hmmmmm . . . . somewhat impressive. Now I'm on my last pokémon. Okay Charizard, go get them!" Flarea called, throwing a pokéball. An enormous Charizard appeared. I looked up and gulped.

"_Char!" _ Charizard said. I gulped.

"Bouncer, I choose you!" I cried and threw his pokéball. My tiny Azurill appeared.

"An Azurill?" Flarea said skeptically. I turned red.

"Size isn't everything, you know! Bouncer, Water Gun!" I shouted. Bouncer let out a powerful jet of water at Charizard.

"_Chaaaaar!" _ Charizard wailed as the jet of water hit him.

"Charizard, DragonsBreath!" Flarea called. Charizard let out a jet of purple and blue fire at Bouncer.

"Bouncer, dodge it! Then use Pound!" I shouted. Bouncer jumped out of the way of the flames and slammed against Charizard. Charizard wobbled a little.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Flarea shouted. Charizard breathed a red flame at Bouncer.

"_A-a-a-azu!!!" _ Bouncer cried in panic.

"Repel it with Water Gun! Quick!" I shouted.

"_AZUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" _ Bouncer shouted, spitting out another jet of water. It extinguished the flame before it hit Bouncer and went on to hit the Charizard's flaming tail.

"_CHAR!" _Charizard cried and fell to the ground with a huge thud.

"YES! Oh Bouncer, that was wonderful!" I cried, hugging him.

"_Azu!" _ Bouncer cried happily.

"Charizard . . . . . ." Flarea said, an astonished look on her face.

"Bouncer, Return!" I called. Bouncer went back in his pokéball. "Is Charizard okay?" I asked, walking over to Flarea.

"Yes, he'll be fine. Charizard, Return!" Flarea called. "I must say, I seriously underestimated you and your pokémon."

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said.

"You were truly brilliant. You'll definitely make a powerful rival for Ash Ketchum." Flarea said, winking at me.

"Thanks!" I said.

"You're welcome. Here's the Bonfire badge. You won it fair and square." Flarea said, handing me the badge.

"Thanks! This is awesome! One step closer to becoming a Pokémon Master!" I cried, taking the badge from her and putting it in my Trainer case. "Bye!"

"Bye!" Flarea said. I dashed out of the room.

"I got it, I got it!" I cried.

"Awesome!" Nik said.

"Let me see." Ash said. I opened my Trainer case.

"Whoa!" Ash said.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said, winking at Pikachu.

"I'm going in now!" Erin said. She dashed through the door.

****

After Garrison, Heather, Erin, Nik, and Hannah all defeated Flarea, we headed to the Pokémon Center to heal our pokémon.

"Let's eat lunch!" Ash said after we had finished healing our pokémon. We went to a restaurant. Suddenly, my PokéGear started ringing again.

"Oh great." I said when I saw the number.

"What?" Ash asked.

"It's my mom again." I said and sighed. I pressed the talk button.

"What did you think you think you were doing when you hung up on me like that, young lady!" My mom screeched so loud I was sure everyone in the restaurant could hear.

"Sorry Mom, it was my turn to challenge Flarea." I said.

"Ooh, did you win?" Mom asked.

"Yes." I said.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you! How's your sister?" Mom asked.

"She's fine. I've got to go." I said.

"Wait! Before you leave . . . . . are you changing your underwear every day?" Mom asked.

"MOM!"

"Okay, okay, just figured I'd ask. Good bye, honey." Mom said.

"Good bye." I said and hung up.

****

Once we had eaten, Ash, Brock and Darkaroe went to the tuxedo rental place, Garrison, Nik, and Kieran went out to catch some wild pokémon, Jeni, Kylee, Banana Split, Kendal, and Dawn went back to the hotel, and Heather, Erin, Hannah, and I went sightseeing.

"Check out this fountain!" I said.

"Yea, it's really pretty." Heather said.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said. I stroked the stone.

"The fountain looks like Articuno." Erin said.

"Yea, now that you mention it, the fountain DOES look like Articuno!" Hannah said.

"Weird . . . . since this is Wildfire City I would expect Moltres or Ho-Oh." I said.

"You're right!" Heather said.

"Very strange." Hannah said.

"Hey, what's this?" I asked, picking up a jewel of amber.

"It looks like . . . no . . . that's no ordinary amber . . ." Heather said.

"It's an Old Amber!" Erin said.

"A what?" I asked bluntly.

"Its an Old Amber. They're extremely rare. There's a fossil of an Aerodactyl in there!" Erin said.

"Awesome!" I said.

"Let's go to the mining museum." Hannah said.

"Um . . . . why?" I asked.

"They can resurrect that fossil! You'll have your own Aerodactyl! Lucky." Heather said.

"Whoa, awesome!!! Let's go then!" I said. We ran to the mining museum.

"How may I help you?" A man at the information desk asked.

"Please resurrect this for me!" I said, putting the Old Amber on the counter.

"Ah. A very fine specimen. You're a lucky girl. These are extremely rare. Come back tomorrow and your Aerodactyl will be waiting for you." The man said, taking the Old Amber.

"Thanks!" I said. We walked out of the museum.

"Wow Leela, you're so lucky." Heather said.

"Yea." I said and smiled. "Oh Arceus, it's almost eight o' clock! We'd better get to the hotel soon!"

"Yea, you don't want to be late on your date with Ash Ketchum!" Hannah teased.

"How many times do I have to tell you, it's not a date!" I said angrily.

****

Hannah continued to tease me all the way back to the hotel. We made it back there at 8:10. Nobody else was in our room.

"Eek! I'd better get ready!" I said. I grabbed my dress and quickly changed in the closet. I put on some sandals and earrings.

"How do I look?" I asked my friends, stepping out of the closet. Just then, Dawn walked into the room.

"Ooh, this flower I picked would look perfect in your hair!" Dawn said, tucking a purple lily behind my ear.

"Thanks, Dawn." I said.

"Anytime!" Dawn said.

"_Vulpix?" _Roxy asked, looking up at me with big brown eyes. I laughed.

"Of course you're coming, Roxy!" I said.

"_Vulpix vul!" _Roxy said, smiling. The door opened. In the doorway was Ash and Pikachu. Ash was wearing a tux and a bowtie, without his hat.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey . . . . can you loosen this bowtie for me? I think I'm going to choke." Ash said. I laughed.

"Sure." I said. I loosened the bowtie a little bit.

"Ahhhh . . . . . . thanks." Ash said.

"You look nice." I said. Ash blushed.

"Geez, thanks Leela. You look great too." Ash said.

"Thanks." I said.

"He thinks you're cute!" Brock said, appearing in the doorway in a flash before Croagunk punched him. Ash and I were pretending we had never heard anything. I checked my watch.

"8:25. We'd better go." I said.

"Yea." Ash said.

"Okay, bye! Have fun on your date!" Jeni called as we were leaving the room, making both Ash and I blush.

"It's not a date!" we both yelled back at her.

"_Pika . . . ." _Pikachu said.

"_Vulpix . . . ." _Roxy said.

****

At exactly 8:30, Ash and I reached the town hall.

"I'm Ash Ketchum." Ash said to the security man.

"And I'm Leela Locke." I said.

"I.D, please." The man said. Ash and I held out our PokéDexes.

"Ah. You may go in." the guard said.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said. We walked inside the town hall.

"Whoa!" Ash said.

"It looks like a castle!" I said.

"Hey, look a desert table!" Ash said. _Oh brother. Some things you just can't change_, I thought.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said. Ash dashed over to the desert table.

"Come on, Pikachu!" Ash said. Pikachu ran off to join Ash.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said. I smiled and stroked her head.

"Wow, that's a nice Vulpix." A voice behind me said. I whirled around. A boy with brown spiky hair and black eyes was standing behind me. I laughed nervously.

"Thanks." I said. An infatuated look suddenly slipped into the boy's eyes.

"I'm Gary Oak." The boy said.

"Oh, are you Professor Oak's grandson?" I asked.

"That's me!" Gary Oak said.

"Oh, cool! I'm Leela Locke." I said.

"Nice to meet you." Gary said, slicking back his hair the way Jamie Gill always slicked back his hair. I slightly raised an eyebrow.

"You too." I said cautiously.

"What moves does your Vulpix know?" Gary asked.

"Um . . . . well, she know Flamethrower, Quick Attack, Fire Fang, and Fire Spin." I said.

"Oh, that's neat." Gary said. Suddenly, a girl in a yellow dress walked by. Jordan. _How'd she get here?!_ I thought. I quickly said good-bye to Gary and moved closer. Yup, it was definitely Jordan Mikes.

"Hey Leela! You really should try this!" Ash said, handing me a piece of cheesecake on a plate with a fork.

"Thanks, Ash." I said, taking the plate. I took a bite. "Mmmmmm. This is really good!"

"Yea, I ate six pieces." Ash said.

"ASH!" I said.

"What?" Ash asked.

"You really need to learn self-control!" I said.

"Hey . . .!" Ash started before he was cut off.

"Well, well, it's Leela Locke from Loser Town." Jordan's sneering voice said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"I got an invitation, of course. How'd you get here? Did you sneak in with your boyfriend?" Jordan asked sarcastically.

"No, I did not!" I said, my face getting hot. "I got an invitation. Though why they gave an invitation to the likes of you, I'll never know!"

"_Pika pikachu!" _Pikachu said, covering his eyes. Jordan was about to snap something back at me, but she was interrupted by an announcer on the stage.

"Thank you all, brave and ambitious Trainers for being here tonight. And now's the moment you've been waiting for! The Elite Four! Billy! Maria! Jemma! And Michael! Here they are, ladies and gentlemen!" the man said. The curtain rose. Two girls and two boys were on the stage. I recognized one of the boys at once.

"Billy Hunt?!" I gasped.

"What?" Ash asked.

"Oh . . . . . nothing." I said. The Elite Four were greeted with enormous applause. Billy took the microphone from the announcer.

"Thank you all for coming here. I'll be extremely pleased to meet you, as will the rest of the Elite. Jemma, want to say a few words?" Billy asked, handing the microphone over to a girl with long blonde hair and icy blue eyes.

"Sure, Billy. Let me tell you, I never did expect to get into the Elite Four. So I just want to say thanks to all my wonderful pokémon, Mamoswine, Froslass, Glaceon, Jynx, Abomasnow, and Sealeo!" Jemma said. We all clapped. Jemma handed the microphone to a brown-haired girl with her hair up in a sideways ponytail and serpentine green eyes.

"Thanks Jem. Yo! I'm Maria of the Elite Four! Are you all ready to rock?!" the girl asked. A hearty cheer greeted her words. "All right! Michael, which song should I put on?" Maria asked, tossing the microphone to a brown-haired boy whose bangs were almost covering his eyes.

"Um . . . . 2 B a Master. That's one of my favorites." The boy said.

"Right, I'm on it!" Maria said and turned on a small radio. The music started playing. "Mmm! Loving it! C'mon Billy, let's dance!" Maria said, grabbing Billy's hands before he could reply and pulled him onto the dance floor. I had been inching away from Jordan the entire time the Elite Four had been talking, and now she was out of my sight.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said, bowing to Roxy.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said. They walked toward the dance floor together.

"What the heck?! Is that Gary Oak??" Ash asked in surprise. "GARY!" Gary turned his head.

"Ash!" Gary said. Gary ran over to Ash and they hugged.

"Good to see you, buddy!" Ash said. Gary laughed.

"Yea." Gary said.

"What are you doing in the Mothemm reigon?" Ash asked, letting go of Gary.

"Pokémon research, you know. For my grandfather." Gary said.

"Nice! Oh, I almost forgot. This is Leela." Ash said, pointing to me. Gary nodded.

"I know." Gary said, smiling at me. I smiled back.

"Oh . . . . you already met?" Ash asked.

"Yes, while you were stuffing your face at the desert table!" I said. Gary laughed.

"Still loving food, huh Ash?" Gary asked.

Um . . . . yes." Ash said sheepishly.

"_Pika pika!" _Pikachu said, walking up to Gary.

"Oh, hey Pikachu! Good to see you again." Gary said.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu said and nodded. He walked back up to dance with Roxy.

"Well, I'll see you soon." Gary said.

"Yea!" Ash said eagerly. Gary walked off into the crowd. Ash laughed.

"I still remember when we absolutely detested each other's guts." Ash said.

"What, really?" I asked.

"Yes. We used to be rivals and Gary was much better at it than I was. But in the end, after we had become friends, Gary decided to become a Pokémon Researcher, like his grandfather." Ash said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. Gary used to be terrible to me. A crowd of cheerleaders used to follow him around everywhere, even crying when Gary lost." Ash said.

"WHAT?!" I asked.

"Unbelievable, I'm sure." Ash said.

"Yea . . . . . I just can't see that happening . . . . ." I said. Ash laughed.

"But anyway, Gary was terrible to me . . . . he used to call me 'Ashy-boy' and everything." Ash said.

"Kind of like me and Jordan then?" I asked.

"Oh was that that girl's name?" Ash asked.

"Yes. Jordan Mikes." I said and grimaced. "She's a big fat jerk."

"_PIIIIIka!" _Pikachu said. Pikachu had been twirling around and had fallen on the floor.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said, laughing.

"Pikachu! Are you okay?" Ash asked.

"_Pika pi!" _Pikachu laughed, giving Ash a thumbs-up. I grinned.

"Well, don't you two make a cute couple!" a voice behind us said. Ash and I turned around. It was Maria of the Elite Four!

"Um . . . . we're not a couple." Ash said, blushing.

"Not you, your pokémon. They really like each other." Maria said.

"Oh." I said.

"Are you Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town?" Maria asked, turning to Ash.

"Yup, that's me!" Ash said.

"Maria, you're a Dragon-type Trainer, right?" I asked.

"You bet I am! I have a Dragonair, a Dragonite, an Altaria, a Salamence, a Garchomp, and a Kingdra." Maria said proudly.

"Whoa . . . . ." I said in awe.

"Yup, they're all awesome. Better have quite a few Ice pokémon on your team to beat me!" Maria said.

"Whoa . . . . ." Ash said.

"Champion Erik, though, he blew right through me with no Ice-type pokémon. That kid's really talented. He's got a Shaymin." Maria said.

"WHOA!! A SHAYMIN?!" Ash and I cried in amazement.

"Yes. Quite cool, isn't it?" Maria said.

"Yea . . . . . . ." I said.

"Well, see ya!" Maria said, vanishing into the crowd.

"Wow . . . . a Shaymin . . . . I don't believe it!" Ash said.

"Me neither! I'd better train Roxy hard." I said.

"_Vulpahx!" _Roxy said, her terrified face looking up at me.

"Don't worry Roxy, you're not going up against a Shaymin yet. You might want to evolve first." I said.

"_Vuuuuulpix." _Roxy sighed in relief. I grinned.

"You're so cute." I said and scratched her ear.

"What?!" Ash asked, looking up.

"I'm not talking to you!" I said. "I'm talking to Roxy."

"Oh." Ash said, looking somewhat disappointed.

"Okay Roxy, go dance with Pikachu!" I aid.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said, holding out a paw.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said. The two pokémon dashed onto the dance floor. Suddenly, a slow song turned on. People were pairing up. I took a sideways look at Ash. He was looking at the desert table.

"I'm gonna go raid the desert table again." Ash said. I shrugged.

"Okay." I said. "Good luck." Ash grinned and walked off. I watched him go. Pikachu and Roxy were still dancing together on the floor. I smiled.

"Hey." A voice behind me said. I turned around.

"Oh, hi Gary." I said.

"Do you . . . . maybe . . . . want to dance?" Gary asked. I thought about it for a minute. _One dance won't hurt_, I thought.

"Sure." I said. Gary smiled and took my hand.

Gary Oak had obviously danced before, as his steps were almost flawless.

"You're a good dancer." I said.

"Thanks." Gary said and smiled.

"Ash told me you wanted to be a Pokémon Researcher like your grandpa. Is that true?" I asked.

"Yes." Gary said. "I used to want to become a Pokémon Master, like Ash, but I retired." I laughed.

"How many pokémon do you have?" I asked.

"A lot." Gary said. "What about you?"

"Eleven, if you count an Egg and an Old Amber in restoration." I said.

"I resurrected an Old Amber once. You're pretty lucky." Gary said.

"You know how to resurrect fossils?!" I asked.

"Yes. It's a rather complicated process." Gary said. I didn't really feel like listening to a long explanation about how to resurrect fossils, so I asked,

"Are you traveling with anyone?"

"Nope. Just me and my pokémon. You?" Gary asked.

"Well, I'm traveling with Ash, Dawn and Brock, a few other friends, and my sister and her other friends, and Darkaroe, the Gym leader of Mukrow City." I said.

"Whoa . . . . that's one big group." Gary said.

"Yea, it is!" I said.

"Is it fun traveling with that many people?" Gary asked.

"Sometimes." I said and laughed. "Most of the time it's pretty fun, but there's an occasional argument." Gary nodded.

"Yea. I hear you." Gary said. The song had ended just as he said that.

"Thanks for the dance." I said.

"You're welcome. Hey . . . . maybe we can meet up somewhere tomorrow." Gary said.

"Uh . . . . no thanks." I said quickly. "I'm busy tomorrow." Gary nodded.

"Okay. Well, can I at least have you PokéGear number?" Gary asked.

"Um . . . . I guess." I said. I wrote down my number on a piece of paper and handed it to Gary.

"Thanks. I'll call you next time I find a PC box." Gary said, sticking the piece of paper in his pocket.

"Okay . . . bye." I said.

"Bye!" Gary said. I walked away, smiling slightly. Ash was still at the desert table, stuffing his face. _Better not bother him now_, I thought.

"Wow Leela, you've grown a lot." A voice behind me said. I whirled around.

"Billy! Hi!" I said.

"I saw you dancing with Gary. Do you fancy him?" Billy asked.

"What?! No!!!" I said angrily. Billy laughed.

"Okay, okay, just figured I'd ask. How's Heather?" Billy asked.

"She's great. She just won a contest back in Icee City." I said.

"Oh, good for her." Billy said.

"Yea. How's Misdreavus?" I asked.

"She's great. She misses you a lot, though." Billy said. I smiled. When Billy had first caught Misdreavus, he had let me play with her and I had developed a strong friendship with her. "She's beaten a lot of strong challengers." Billy continued.

"That's great!" I said.

"You know . . . . ever since I first saw you two playing together, I was thinking I might give Misdreavus to you when you became a Trainer. And now that you're old enough . ." Billy said.

"What?!" I asked.

"I think I should give Misdreavus to you. I'll miss her, of course, but she might do better with you. I have a strong Duskinor that I can call up in Misdreavus's place." Billy said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out Misdreavus's pokéball. "Take good care of her." Billy handed me the pokéball.

"T-thank you!" I said, taking it.

"You're welcome. And please don't give her a nickname. You've called her Misdreavus for so long, it might seem weird." Billy said.

"Okay!" I said. I quickly put Bouncer in the PC and put Misdreavus's pokéball into my pocket. I thanked Billy 25 more times and ran off to tell Ash the good news.

"Ash, Ash! You'll never guess what happened!" I said.

"What?" Ash asked, his mouth full of cake.

"Elite Four Billy gave me his Misdreavus!" I said.

"Why'd he do that?" Ash asked, looking shocked. I quickly told him about Misdreavus. "Wow." Ash said. "Can I see her?" I released Misdreavus.

"_Misdreavus!" _Misdreavus said, looking around for Billy.

"Misdreavus, it's me! Leela! I'm your new Trainer!" I said. Misdreavus turned around to look at me.

"_Misdreavus!" _Misdreavus cried and nuzzled me. I laughed and hugged her.

"Wow, she's pretty." Ash said.

"Thanks!" I said. I recalled Misdreavus.

"She really likes you." Ash said.

"Yea, when Billy caught her I went over his house every day to play with Misdreavus and Heather." I said.

"Heather? Why would she be at his house?" Ash asked.

"Because Billy is Heather's older brother." I said.

"Ohhhhhhhhh." Ash said.

"_Pika pi! Pikachu chu!" _Pikachu said. Ash and I turned around to look at Pikachu and Roxy. Roxy gingerly stood up on her hind legs. Pikachu took her paws and they started doing the tango.

"That's so cute!" I said.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said, somehow managing to point at Ash and I.

"What? Are you saying we should have a picnic?" Ash asked. Pikachu slapped his forehead.

"I think Pikachu and Roxy want us to dance." I said. Pikachu and Roxy sat on the floor and nodded.

"Well, I'm not like Gary. I'm terrible at dancing." Ash said.

"I'm not great either." I said.

"_Pika pikachu! Pikachu pika pikachu!" _Pikachu said.

"Well . . . . . do you want to dance anyway?" I asked. A huge smile spread over Ash's face.

"Sure!" Ash said eagerly. Ash took my hand and we walked across the dance floor.

"_Pikachu pi. Pikachu pikachu pika pi pikachu pipika pikachu chu pika pikachu!"_ Pikachu said.

"_Vuuuuulpix!" _Roxy said and laughed.

****

Ash wasn't lying . . . . he really was a horrible dancer. But it was really fun nonetheless. We danced through at least four songs before Ash finally said, "I'm hungry; let's go eat something."

"Okay." I said. We walked over to the desert table. I got one piece of cheesecake, while Ash got five chocolate chip cookies, three whoopee pies, ten chocolate dipped strawberries, and a slice of vanilla cake.

"Are you sure you're going to eat all that?" I asked Ash suspiciously.

"Yup!" Ash said cheekily.

"Okay . . . . ." I said. I ended up eating half my cheesecake and all of Ash's chocolate covered strawberries.

"Are you going to finish that?" Ash asked, pointing to my half-eaten cheesecake.

"Help yourself." I said, pushing my cheesecake toward him.

"Thanks!" Ash said.

"No offense, but you're like an eating machine." I said.

"My mom says that to me all the time." Ash said, finishing my cheesecake in one gulp. I smiled. I noticed Gary Oak staring at me out of the corner of my eye.

"How do you like Gary? I noticed you were dancing with him." Ash said, reading my mind.

"He's okay." I said truthfully. "But the way he slicks back his hair reminds me of Jamie Gill."

"Who's Jamie Gill?" Ash asked.

"This kid who goes to our school. He is such a jerk. But for some reason, every boy who meets him wants to be his friend, and every girl who meets him wants to be his girlfriend. Well, except for my friends. Well, Nikolai and Jamie are sort of friends." I said. Ash nodded.

"That used to be Gary all the time. But he's changed a lot. He's my good friend now." Ash said.

"That's nice. You should have more friends than enemies." I said. Ash nodded.

"Yea." Ash said.

"Even so . . . . I couldn't imagine ever being friends with Jordan, like, ever. She makes me sooooo mad." I said, gritting my teeth.

"I couldn't ever imagine being friends with Gary." Ash pointed out.

"Even so . . . ." I started.

"Uh . . . . let's dance some more." Ash said abruptly.

"Um . . . . okay . . . ." I said. I noticed Ash hadn't taken a bite of his piece of cake. I noticed while Ash and I were dancing Pikachu and Roxy were rolling on the ground laughing their heads off. I smiled.

"What?" Ash asked.

"Oh just Roxy and Pikachu. Look!" I said. Ash looked at Roxy and Pikachu.

"I wonder what's so funny . . . . whoops, sorry." Ash said, stepping on my foot for the thousandth time that night, making Roxy and Pikachu just laugh harder.

****

Ash and I danced until the party was over, at midnight.

"Roxy! Pikachu! Time to go!" Ash and I called. Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder and Roxy jumped on my shoulder. Ash and I walked out of the building.

"Whoa, look at the city!" I said.

"It's beautiful!" Ash exclaimed.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said.

"_Vul!" _Roxy said.

"What's in that white box you're holding?" I asked Ash.

"My cake." Ash said. "I'll eat it in the morning." I laughed.

"You might want to eat it before my sister gets it." I said.

"Well, okay. I am kind of hungry anyway." Ash said. He opened the box and took a fork. "Want some?" Ash asked.

"Sure." I said. Ash handed me another fork and we ate the cake all the way to the hotel. Once we reached the hotel, Ash threw the white box in the garbage can.

"That was good." Ash remarked. I nodded.

"It'll probably keep me awake for the rest of the night, but yes, it was." I said. Ash laughed. He pressed the button for our floor and we went up.

"That was really fun." Ash said.

"Yea. I'm glad we got invited." I said. The elevator dinged and we got out of it.

"Good night, Ash." I said.

"Good night, Leela." Ash said. We walked into our separate rooms. I quickly changed into my pajamas and got into bed. I lay awake for awhile, thinking about the party. But somehow, I managed to fall asleep.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter Forty-Five: Kidnapped!

I opened my eyes. I was dancing with Ash again at the party. I smiled. But something was happening. Ash disappeared and Nikolai appeared in his place.

"Huh?" I asked. Suddenly, Nik and I started floating, and Ash appeared again next to me. Then Mesprit appeared in front of us.

_You have to choose between them._ Mesprit said, but it didn't actually say it. Mesprit was transporting thoughts directly in my brain!

"W-what do you mean? Choose between what?" I asked.

_You have to choose between Nikolai Fernandez and Ash Ketchum someday. _Mesprit said. _Make a choice._

"W-what?!" I asked.

"Make a choice!" Ash and Nik demanded.

****

I jerked out of my sleep, breathing hard. I looked around. Heather, Erin, and Hannah were all still sleeping. I checked my watch. It was 8 o' clock in the morning. I rubbed my eyes.

"_Vulpix!"_ Roxy said.

"Good morning, Roxy." I said. Roxy rubbed her head against my leg. I quickly got dressed. _I need somewhere to think_, I thought. I scribbled out a little message for my friends. It looked like this:

**Gone to pick up Aerodactyl from the mining museum. Be back at around 9:30. **

Leela Locke

I grabbed my bag and walked out of the room.

****

Once I had gotten outside, I released Thunderbolt and Misdreavus.

"_Mai mai!" _Thunderbolt said.

"_Misdreavus!" _Misdreavus said. I smiled.

"Come on guys, let's go!" I said. I walked down to the mining museum with my pokémon. I walked through the sliding doors and up to the information desk.

"I'm Leela Locke." I said to the man at the counter.

"Oh yes, I remember you. Just one minute . . . ." The man said. He looked down underneath the counter and come up with an Ultra Ball. "Your Aerodactyl is in this pokéball." the man said and handed me the ball.

"Is this Aerodactyl a boy or a girl?" I asked.

"It's a girl." The man said.

"Then her name's Amber." I said. I quickly put Trouble into the PC and tucked the Aerodactyl's pokéball into my bag. "Thanks. What do I owe you for resurrecting her?" I asked.

"Oh, you don't owe me anything! It's free!" the man said.

"Oh wow! Thanks a lot!" I said. I walked out of the mining museum. I was so busy thinking about Amber when I walked right into someone.

"Nik?! What are you doing here?!" I asked.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said.

"Uh . . . . . . I . . . . . . uh . . . . . ." Nik stammered.

"Were you following me?" I asked. Nik sighed.

"Yes." he admitted.

"Why?" I asked.

"I just was kind of bored and I wanted to see where you were going." Nik said.

"Well, you could've told me." I said indignantly.

"Uh . . . . yea . . . . next time I'll do that." Nik said. We walked down the streets. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going.

"Where are we going?" Nik asked.

"Back to the hotel." I said.

"Are you sure this is the way?" Nik asked. I looked around.

"No." I said. We were in a dark alley.

"_Misdreavus . . . ." _Misdreavus said, shrinking behind my leg.

"Boo!" Someone shrieked.

"AHHHHH!" Nik and I cried. A young woman with short, sandy-colored hair, a young man with dark black hair, and a Poochyena was standing behind us. The woman and the man wore black uniforms with a red G on the front.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves . . . . to create a whole new world!" the woman said.

"To become rulers of space and time!" the man said.

"To capture the legendary dragons!" the woman said.

"To unite all dimensions under one ruler!" the man said.

"Sandra!" the woman said.

"Samuel!" the man said.

"We're Team Giralgkia, and world domination is our goal!" the woman said.

"So get out of our way, or else!" the man said.

"_Poochyena_, that's right!" the Poochyena said.

"POOCHYENA TALKS?!" Nik and I screeched.

"Yea, of course I talk." Poochyena said.

"Well, what do you want?!" I asked.

"You know what we want. The Seeker Jewel. Just give it to us and you'll walk away unharmed." Sandra said. I instinctively grabbed my pocket.

"Ah. So that's where it is. Listen, we'll give you brats a choice . . . . give us the Seeker Jewel or we can take it!" Samuel said.

"Not while I'm still standing! Roxy, Flamethrower!" I shouted. Roxy breathed a jet of fire at the people. They dodged it.

"Well, so it's a fight you want? Fine by me! Bagon, go!" Sandra yelled, throwing a pokéball.

"Golbat, go!" Samuel shouted, also throwing a pokéball. Golbat and Bagon appeared. I quickly recalled Thunderbolt and Misdreavus.

"Chimchar, I choose you!" Nik cried, throwing a pokéball. Chimchar appeared.

"Bagon, Zen Headbutt!" Sandra yelled. Bagon viciously headbutted Chimchar. Chimchar collapsed onto the ground.

"Chimchar!" Nik cried and ran to it to see if it was alright.

"Golbat, Sludge Bomb!" Samuel yelled. Golbat spat out purple sludge at Roxy and hit her. Roxy collapsed on the ground.

"No! Roxy!" I cried. I ran to see if she was okay.

"You see? It's no use. Give us the gem or else we'll pulverize your pokémon!" Sandra said.

"Unnnnngh . . . ." I groaned.

"Chimchar, Return!" Nik cried. Chimchar went back in its pokéball.

"Roxy! Please go into your pokéball now . . . . I'll be okay . . . . just get in your pokéball, and you'll be okay." I said to Roxy. I held out Roxy's pokéball.

"_Vulpix . . . ." _Roxy said and went back into her pokéball.

"Alright. Now, hand over the gem!" Poochyena growled.

"Never!" Nik shouted.

"Bagon, teach this ignorant snitch a lesson! Zen Headbutt!" Sandra cried. The Bagon headbutted Nik in the stomach.

Nnngh!" Nik groaned, collapsing on the ground.

"Nik!" I cried. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine . . . ." Nik groaned. He gingerly stood up.

"Marowak, now!" Samuel cried. A Marowak appeared out of nowhere and whacked Nik over the head with its huge bone. Nik crumpled to the ground.

"NIKOLAI!" I screamed. I kneeled next to him and vigorously shook his shoulder. "Nik, wake up! Please wake up!"

"Awwww, how touching. Well, it's your fault. If you had handed over the gem, this wouldn't have happened." Samuel said.

"Nikolai . . . . . ." I said quietly. I looked up at Sandra, Samuel, and Poochyena.

"Now, we're VERY sorry about that. Maybe now you'll be willing to hand over the gem?" Sandra asked and grinned wickedly.

"Never!" I shrieked. I took one step toward them . . . and fell onto the ground. Marowak had clubbed me over the head with its bone. I landed on the ground next to Nik. Then everything went black.

****

I slowly opened my eyes.

"Ouuuuch! My head . . . . I think I have a concussion . . . ." I groaned. I sat up and looked around. "Where the heck am I?" I said. I was in a dimly lit room. I sat up slowly. I looked around. My bag was gone!_ Oh Arceus . . . my PokéGear, PC, and PokéDex was in there! So were all my pokéballs! Oh, my poor pokémon! _I thought. I reached into my pocket. The Seeker Jewel was also gone.

"Arrrrg!" I cried and slammed my fist against the wall. "I'm sorry Mewtwo . . . . I failed you." I said and sunk to my knees. _But you didn't just fail Mewtwo_, a voice in my head said. _You've failed your pokémon, your friends, the entire world!_ I hammered my fist against the wall again. I looked up at the ceiling. _Leela, how could you be so weak? How could you let them take away the Seeker Jewel with barely a fight?!_ I scolded myself. _Okay, pull yourself together_, another voice in my head said. _All is not lost! You have to get out of here!_ I slowly stood up and looked around. There was a door in the corner. I tried to push it open, but it was locked. I slammed my body against the door.

"Ouch . . . . well, that won't work." I said, rubbing my shoulder. I looked around again. There weren't any windows or any other way out. I sighed. _So the door must be the only way in and out of the room. Well, I'll just wait until someone comes . . . . ._ I thought. I sat against the wall and waited. I waited for at least fifteen minutes before two men wearing the weird uniforms slammed open the door.

"Get up, little girl." One man said. He roughly grabbed my arm and pulled me viciously to my feet.

"The boss wants to see you." The other man said. They tied my hands behind my back and dragged me out of the room.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow! Where are you taking me?" I asked. The men opened the doors and kicked me into a room. I toppled over onto the ground. I looked up. The room was filled with people wearing the same weird rubber uniforms. At the end of the room, sitting on a throne was Marduk, with a Mightyena on his lap. Next to Marduk's throne, there was a strange-looking machine holding the Seeker Jewel.

"So, Leela, we meet again." Marduk said.

"How did you figure out my name?!" I asked, trying to look threatening while lying helpless on the floor.

"Eh, I have my ways. Get her up here." Marduk said. The two men who took me to the room grabbed me again and dragged me in front of Marduk.

"I'll ask you again . . . how did you figure out my name?!" I asked again.

"You're in no position to make demands, Leela Locke. I must say, I have to thank you. Finding the Seeker Jewel and even letting me borrow your PokéDex, PokéGear, and all of your pokémon. Sooooo . . . . . here's how I will repay you. You're getting a front-row seat to my plan of world domination!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Marduk laughed evilly.

"You're not getting away with this!" I shouted. "Plus, what the heck do you think you're doing?! Do you know anything about its power?!"

"Oh yes I do, Leela. Using this gem . . . . I shall destroy this world, and create an entire new one in which I, Marduk, will rule! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Marduk said. The Mightyena slid off of Marduk's lap and Marduk pulled a lever on the strange looking machine. The Seeker Jewel started glowing. Then sparks of electricity bounced off the machine. "It's working, it's working! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Marduk laughed again. Suddenly, a bolt of lighting came down from the ceiling and zapped the machine.

"Is that supposed to happen?" I asked stupidly.

"Who dares mess up my fiendishly evil plan?!" Marduk shrieked.

"We do!" Five strangely familiar voices said.

"Ash! Garrison! Heather! Erin! Hannah! Pikachu!" I cried. My friends jumped down from a hole in the ceiling right next to the machine where the Seeker Jewel had stopped flashing and spitting sparks.

"What are you oafs waiting for?! Catch them!" Marduk cried.

"Pikachu, Discharge!" Ash cried.

"_Pika . . . .CHU!!!" _Pikachu cried, zapping all of the Team Giralgkia grunts. Except . . . it didn't do anything.

"Wha- it didn't do anything?!" Ash cried.

"Of course it didn't, didn't you notice we're wearing rubber uniforms?!" One female grunt said.

"Now what, genius?" Garrison asked Ash sarcastically.

"We'll have to battle our way through!" Ash shouted.

"That's ridiculous! Our pokémon aren't strong enough!" Erin cried. Ash wasn't listening.

"Monferno, Grotle, Gliscor! Go!" Ash cried, throwing three pokéballs.

"Mudkip, Torchic, and Treecko! Go!" Heather cried, throwing three pokéballs.

"Riolu, Grovyle, and Piplup! Go!" Garrison cried, throwing three pokéballs.

"Hippie, Minerva, and Ruby! I choose all of you!" Hannah cried, throwing three pokéballs. Erin sighed.

"Magic, Casper, and Neruda! I'm choosing you!" Erin cried, throwing three pokéballs. All of the pokémon appeared.

"Even all of your pokémon is no match for my beautiful Mightyena. Mightyena, Roar!" Marduk called. Mightyena roared. Its roar sent everyone flying across the room and all of the pokémon except Pikachu back into their pokéballs. My friends thudded against the wall.

"Ouch . . . . is everyone okay?!" Heather asked.

"I think so . . ." Garrison said.

"You guys, stay there!" Ash cried and ran up to me and started untying the rope that bound my hands together.

"You . . . . came to rescue me?" I asked.

"Of course we did . . . . . you're our friend . . . . geez, these knots are hard . . . . Pikachu! Grab the Seeker Jewel!" Ash cried. Pikachu jumped up to the machine and grabbed the Seeker Jewel.

"GET . . . THAT . . . PIKACHU!" Marduk cried.

"Ah! I've got it!" Ash said. The ropes slid from my wrist. I grabbed Ash's hand and we ducked and weaved through the grunts.

"THEY'RE ESCAPING!" Marduk cried. We reached my friends.

"Let's get out of here!" Garrison cried. We ran out of the room.

"Oh you guys . . . . I can't believe you rescued me!" I said.

"Leela, you're our friend! We had to rescue you!" Erin said.

"Wait, what about my bag?!" I asked.

"I've got it! Everything's still in it, too." Heather said.

"Oh, awesome! You guys rock!" I said.

"Save your thanks, we're not out of here yet." Hannah said.

"There's Pikachu with the Seeker Jewel!" Ash cried. Pikachu was running in front of us, the Seeker Jewel clamped in his jaws. Ash scooped Pikachu up and took the Seeker Jewel from his mouth.

"Thanks, Pikachu. You're the best." Ash said.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu said. Ash quickly stuck the Seeker Jewel in his pocket.

"There's the door!" Garrison shouted. I looked behind my shoulder. Two huge men were right behind us. Ash and I dashed through the door, followed by Heather, Hannah, Erin, and Garrison.

"Yes! We've made it!" Ash said.

"Not yet we haven't!" Heather cried.

"The men are still chasing us! Run and don't stop until we get to the hotel!" I cried. Suddenly, someone grabbed me around the waist. "Ash!" I screamed. My hand ripped out of Ash's.

"Leela!" Ash cried.

"Mudkip, go! Water Gun!" Heather cried, throwing a pokéball. Mudkip appeared and sprayed a powerful jet of water at the man holding me.

"Dwaaaaah!" the man cried. He let go of me. I fell to the ground.

"Ouch!" I cried.

"Get up! We're not out of trouble yet!" Ash cried and pulled me to my feet.

"_Mudkip!" _Mudkip said. Heather scooped up Mudkip and we dashed off.

"There's the hotel!" Hannah cried. We dashed through the doors of the hotel and into the elevator. Once the doors closed, we each heaved a huge sigh.

"Whew . . . . that was too close." Garrison said.

"You guys . . . . . I can't believe you rescued me." I said.

"Of course we rescued you! You're our friend! Plus, there was also the Seeker Jewel we had to go get too." Heather said.

"Oh yea, that's right." I said, reaching into my pocket. "Where is it??" I asked worriedly.

"I've got it." Ash said, taking it out of his pocket.

"Oh, good." I said. The elevator dinged. We slowly walked out of the elevator and knocked on our room's door.

"Dawn! Brock! Jeni! Kieran! Banana Split! Kylee! Kendal! Darkaroe! Someone, open up!" Ash cried.

"Hey, guys. Rescue mission successful?" Brock asked, opening the door.

"Yup!" I said cheerily.

"Oh, good. We were so worried! Come in." Brock said. We all walked into the room. Heather handed me my bag.

"Thanks Heather." I said. I looked into my bag. My PC, PokéDex, PokéGear, and seven pokéballs were in my bag. "Hey, how come there's seven pokéballs in here?" I asked.

"I don't know. When I saw the bag, I just grabbed it." Heather said.

"I wonder what's in that pokéball." Dawn said.

"Well, only one way to find out." I said and threw the pokéball. "Pokémon, come out!" I gasped. "MAROWAK!" I cried.

"_Marowak!" _Marowak said.

"Awwww. He's cute!" Hannah said. I gave her a skeptical look. Marowak dropped its bone and hugged my leg.

"Huh?" I asked.

"I guess he likes you." Ash said.

"_Pika pika!" _Pikachu said.

"Um . . . . Heather, why don't you take him? You saved him." I said.

"Well, he likes you so much! You should take him." Heather said. I laughed nervously and patted Marowak's head.

"Um . . . . okay . . . . Skull, return!" I said, holding out his pokéball.

"Skull?" Erin asked.

"It was the first thing that came to mind!" I said. My new Marowak went back into his pokéball. I quickly put him into the PC.

"How's Nik?" Erin asked.

"Nik! Yea, how is he?" I asked.

"Jeni and Kendal are with him in the other room." Dawn said. "He's still recovering."

"Can I see him?" I asked. Dawn opened the door to the other room.

"NiiiIIIIiiik, you have a visitor!" Dawn said.

"Nikolai! Are you okay?!" I asked, running to his bedside.

"You sound like my mom! Yea, I'm okay. Don't know why everyone wouldn't let me help rescue you." Nik said.

"It's because you're not fully recovered from that Zen Headbutt yet." Kendal said.

"Kendal, I'm fine . . . . . dah!" Nik said, trying to sit up.

"Well, we're definantly not going on with our pokémon journey tonight, if Nikolai can't even sit up." Jeni said.

"I'm fine! We can go on . . . . . ow!" Nik said, trying again to sit up.

"No, you're not fine. You need your bed rest." Kendal said.

"Kendal's right. Nik, stop exerting yourself. Don't worry, we're not going anywhere without you!" I said. Nik gave me a weak smile.

"Thanks, Lee." Nik said. I gave him a quick hug. Suddenly, my PokéGear rang. _Please not be Gary Oak, please!_ I thought. I carefully flipped it open.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Leela! I've called you five times!! How come you never answered?!" Mom's angry voice rang out. I gulped.

"Uh . . . . I must've put it on vibrate." I said.

"Well, anyway, we're here at Wildfire City." Mom said.

"WHAT?!" I asked. "What are you doing in Wildfire City?!"

"Your father and I are going to pick up Jeni and her friends. They're too young to go on a pokémon journey like you are." Mom said.

"Oh . . . . . Jeni's not going to like that." I said.

"Well, she should know I'm doing this for her own good! What hotel are you staying at?" Mom asked.

"Ummm . . . . . The Blissey Inn." I said.

"Yes, I see it! Honey, we'll be waiting in the lobby. Tell Jeni and her friends to pack up their stuff and send them to the lobby." Mom said. I winced.

"Okay . . . . ." I said. "See you in five minutes." Then I hung up.

"What is it?" Jeni asked me. "What am I not going to like?"

"Mom and Dad's picking up you and Kieran and Kendal and Banana Split and Kylee." I said.

"What?!" Jeni asked. "She's here?!" I nodded.

"You'd better pack up your stuff." I said.

"Yea . . . okay. Come on, Kendal." Jeni said. They walked out of the room, their heads down.

"Poor Jeni. She must be crushed." Nik said.

"Yea, she is. I'm kinda sad that they have to go. Jeni can be really annoying sometimes, but she's not too bad." I said. Nik nodded and sighed.

****

Once all of Jeni's friends were all packed up, they looked out of the open door.

"Guess . . . . this is good bye." Kieran said, looking down at the ground.

"Yea . . . ." I said. Jeni hugged Dawn.

"I'll take you down to the lobby." I said.

"I'll go with you." Ash said.

"Thanks, Ash." I said. After everyone had said good-bye, we walked out of the room.

"Let's take the stairs." Jeni said.

"Okay." I said. We walked down the stairs as slowly as we could before coming into the lobby. My parents were waving to us, huge grins on their faces.

"Are those your parents?" Ash asked.

"Yes." I said and grimaced. I calmly walked over to them.

"Leela! I'm so happy to see you!" Mom said, hugging me.

"Yea . . . . . hi Mom, hi Dad." I said. Dad hugged me.

"Who's this boy?" Mom asked, giving me an is-he-your-boyfriend look.

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." Ash said.

"_Pika pika!" _Pikachu said.

"Well, nice to meet you. Hi Jeni!" My mom said, hugging the scowling Jeni.

"Are you kids ready to go?" Dad asked.

"I guess." Jeni groaned.

"Bye guys!" Kieran said. Jeni hugged me.

"Bye, sissy!" Jeni squeaked.

"You're . . . . . choking . . . . . me . . . . . bye Jeni." I said. Jeni let go of me.

"Are you sure you don't want to go back with us?" Dad asked me.

"Oh yes, I'm sure!" I said.

"Well, alright." Dad said. Ash and I helped Jeni and her friends load their luggage into my parent's car. Once they were all packed up, they all climbed into the car.

"Bye Ash! Bye Leela! We'll miss you!" Kylee cried.

"Good bye! And stay out of trouble! Don't go jumping off any swing sets or anything!" I cried.

"Good bye!" Ash cried.

"_Pika pikachu!!!!" _Pikachu cried. The car started driving away.

"Byeeeeeeeeeeee!" Jeni and her friends cried.

"Bye!" Ash and I cried and waved until the car was out of sight.

"Ash, are you crying?" I asked.

"What? No, of course not! I just got something in my eye." Ash said, wiping his eyes.

"_Pikachu . . . . ." _Pikachu said.

"Let's go back. Brock's probably making lunch." I said.

"Okay!" Ash said eagerly.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said.

****

"We're back!" Ash said, opening the door.

"Hey!" Dawn said, putting a bowl of soft rolls on the table.

"Ooh!" Ash said. He was about to grab one when Dawn caught him by the scruff of his neck.

"Hey! What's the big idea here?!" Ash asked angrily.

"Did you . . . ."

"Yes, yes, yes!!! I washed my hands!!" Ash said.

"Okay." Dawn said, releasing him. Darkaroe laughed.

"Let's eat. I don't think Ash can stand the temptation too long." Darkaroe said.

"Too bad Nik can't eat with us." Garrison said.

"Oh yes I can!" A voice said from the doorway.

"Nik! How'd you . . . .?" I asked.

"I felt a little better, so I decided to get up." Nik said, cautiously walking to an empty seat between Erin and I.

"That's great!" I said and smiled.

"Here, have some food." Brock said, handing Nik a bowl of rice.

****

After us and all of our pokémon had eaten, we cleaned off the table while our pokémon played quietly in the corner.

"So which town's next?" I asked.

"Rockymouth City." Brock said, pulling out a map out of his pocket.

"Whoa! Look how far we've gone!" Heather cried.

"I know. I can't believe it." Erin said.

"I can't believe our journey through Mothemm is practically halfway over!" Ash said.

"I know!" Dawn said.

"And only one encounter with Team Rocket . . . . geez, that's really weird." Brock said.

"That's pretty strange. Usually we see them at least four times a week." Ash said.

"Maybe they gave up trying to steal Pikachu." Hannah said.

"No. They don't know the meaning of 'give up.' They'll pop up when we least expect it, believe me." Brock said. As if on cue, Team Rocket came swinging into the room on a thick rope through the window.

"Prepare for trouble . . ." Jessie said.

"Yes, and make that double!" James said.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"_Meowth_, dat's right!" Meowth said.

"What did I tell you?" Brock said.

"_Pika pikachu!" _Pikachu said.

"Hahaha, we've got you now, you twerps!" James laughed.

"Roxy, Flamethrower!" I cried.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash cried. Roxy breathed fire on Team Rocket and Pikachu shocked them.

"Aaaaaah! Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Team Rocket cried, flying right back out of the window they had come through. We fell to the ground, laughing our heads off.

"Good job, Roxy!" I said between giggles.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said.

"Yea, you too, Pikachu." Ash said.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu said. Suddenly, I let out a yawn.

"I just realized how tired I am!" I said.

"Why would you be tired? Oh yea, that's right, you went to the Elite Four Meet and Greet! How was it?" Erin asked.

"GREAT!" Ash and I said.

"Oh, and Heather, Billy says hi." I said.

"What?! You saw him?!" Heather asked.

"Yes. He's a part of the Elite!" I said.

"WHAT?! No way!" Heather, Hannah, and Erin exclaimed.

"Yea, and he gave me Misdreavus!" I said.

"I was wondering where the Misdreavus came from." Darkaroe said.

"Did you dance with anyone?" Hannah asked.

"I danced with Ash." I said. Everyone turned to Ash.

"I thought you said you couldn't dance!" Dawn said.

"I can't." Ash said. "But I danced anyway."

"Did you dance with anyone else?" Heather asked.

"She danced with Gary." Ash said.

"You asked Gary Oak to dance?" Brock asked me incredulously.

"No, he asked me." I said.

"Who's Gary Oak?" Erin asked.

"He was my rival before he decided to become a Pokémon Researcher. He's Professor Oak's grandson." Ash said.

"Oh, I've heard of him." Heather said.

"It's a wonder Team Rocket didn't show up to steal any pokémon." Ash said, seemingly desperate to change the subject.

"Yea, that's really weird." Dawn said.

"I wonder if Team Rocket knows about the Seeker Jewel." Erin said.

"Let's hope they don't." Darkaroe said, shuddering.

"Speaking of the Seeker Jewel . . . . Ash, can I have it back?" I asked.

"Well . . . . Team Giralgkia thinks you still have it. It might work out better if I hold it for awhile." Ash said. I thought for a few minutes.

"Take good care of it." I said.

"I will." Ash said and nodded fiercely.

"So what are we going to do the rest of the day? I guess we're stuck here." Heather said.

"We could go here!" Dawn said, pointing to a brochure.

"A karaoke bar? Nice try Dawn, but I can't sing." I said.

"Me neither!" Ash said.

"Who says you have to sing?" Dawn asked.

"Come on guys, it'll be fun!" Heather said.

"Yea, and I could meet a girl!" Brock said.

"Brock, you're girl-crazy." Darkaroe snorted.

"We can go to the karaoke bar for dinner." Erin said.

"And if you're randomly chosen to sing, you don't have too." Hannah said. Ash and I sighed.

"Okay, fine." I said.

"_Vuuuuulpix . . . ." _Roxy said.

"Yay! You'll see; it'll be fun!" Erin said

"I hope so." I said.

"Let's just not stay out too late." Ash said and yawned.

"Yea. If we're going to get to Rockymouth City tomorrow, we've got to get up early." Garrison said.

"What time is it now?" Heather asked. I checked my watch.

"2:30." I said.

"I'll go to the food store to stock back up on food." Brock said.

"I'd better go with you." Dawn said.

"I'll go too." Darkaroe said.

"Okay." I said. They left the room.

"Guess it's just us now." Nik said. Ash laughed.

"Yea." Ash said.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu said.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said.

"Let's take a walk." Erin suggested. "We can use some fresh air."

"Yea, good idea. Let's watch out for Team Giralgkia, though." Garrison said. We walked out of the hotel, took a quick stop at the Pokémon Center, and continued walking.

"Uh-oh!" Erin said.

"What?" I asked.

"Team Giralgkia at 3:00!" Erin whispered. We turned around to see two Giralgkia grunts.

"Let's just slowly sneak away . . . ." Garrison whispered.

"Hey, you kids!" One grunt called.

"RUN!" I cried.

"Give us the Seeker Jewel!" the other grunt yelled.

"Not a chance! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash cried. Pikachu zapped the two grunts . . . . but nothing happened!

"Can't you get it through your thick head that they're wearing rubber suits?!" Nik shouted at Ash.

"Take back that thick head crack!" Ash yelled.

"No time for arguments!! Keep running!" Erin cried. We kept running through the streets.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu cried. Nik suddenly collapsed on the ground.

"Unnngh . . . . pain . . . ." Nik gasped.

"Nik!" I cried.

"Stupid Zen Headbutt . . . . . ." Garrison mumbled.

"I'll take care of Nik. Keep running, guys!" I cried.

"But . . . ." Ash started.

"No buts! Get going!!" I cried. Ash nodded stiffly and took off with the rest of my friends.

"Unnnnngh . . . . . ." Nik groaned. I winced. The grunts were almost on us.

"Roxy, Quick Attack! Keep the grunts away from us!" I said.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said and nodded fiercely. She dashed at the grunts.

"Nik, are you okay?" I asked.

"I've got a burning pain in my gut . . . . . ahhh!" Nik cried.

"Ahhhh! Let's get out of here!" A grunt said. I looked behind me. The grunts were running away from Roxy with burnt hair.

"_Vuuuuulpix!" _Roxy said proudly and lay down next to Nik. _"Vulpix vul?" _

"Curly-Q, come out!" I cried, throwing a pokéball.

"_Chansey!" _Curly-Q said.

"Curly-Q, use Softboiled!" I said. Curly-Q took out an egg from her pouch.

"Nik, eat this." I said, handing him the egg. Nik took a bite of the egg and stood up.

"Thanks, Leela. Thanks, Curly-Q." Nik said. "I feel much better now."

"_Chansey!" _Curly-Q said happily. I hugged Curly-Q.

"Thanks, Curly-Q." I said.

"_Chansey. Chansey chansey chansey chan!" _Curly-Q said.

"What's she saying?" Nik asked.

"I think she's saying, 'stop getting into trouble so that I don't have to keep saving you'." I said. Curly-Q nodded. Nik laughed.

"Okay, I'll try." Nik said. Curly-Q smiled at Nik.

"Okay Curly-Q, Return!" I said. Curly-Q went back into her pokéball.

"_Vulpiiiiix!" _Roxy said, standing up.

"You did a good job too, scaring off those grunts." I said and hugged her.

"Why don't we try to find the others?" Nik asked.

"Good idea. Let's get going." I said. A few minutes later, we reached the food store.

"Hey, there's the food store." Nik said.

"Okay, let's look for Dawn, Brock, and Darkaroe." I said. We walked into the store.

"Geez, it's cold in here." Nik said, rubbing his shoulders.

"Hey, there's Dawn! Oh, there's Brock and Darkaroe right behind her! Guys! Hello!" I shouted, waving to them. Dawn, Brock and Darkaroe ran over to us, loaded down with bags of food.

"What are you guys doing here?" Brock asked. Nik and I breathlessly told them what had happened.

"Do you have any idea where Ash and the others went?" Dawn asked. Nik and I shook our heads.

"Geez . . . . . maybe we should get going tonight, since Nik's obviously feeling much better." Darkaroe said, nodding towards Nik.

"Plus this place seems to be teeming with criminals. The sooner we get out of here, the better." Brock said. We nodded.

"But first we have to find the others." Dawn said.

"They probably went back to the hotel. Let's look in there first." I said. Everyone nodded and we walked out of the store. Suddenly, there was a flash of light in the distance.

"Hey, what was that?" I asked.

"It looked like it was a thunderbolt." Dawn said.

"Not just any thunderbolt!" Brock said.

"What do you mean?" Nik asked.

"That's Pikachu's Thunderbolt! They must be in trouble!" Brock said.

"Let's get going then! We have to help!" I said.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy nodded fiercely. We dashed down the streets without paying any attention to where we were going.

"No! Pikachu!" Ash's voice cried.

"This way!" Dawn said, pointing down a dark alley.

"Okay!" Brock said. We dashed down the alley. Once we reached the end, we were right in front of the hotel we were staying at. Team Rocket were in a Meowth hot air balloon, holding onto Pikachu with rubber gloves! My friends were on the ground, shaking their fists at Team Rocket.

"Give me back my Pikachu!" Ash cried.

"Nyah nyah nyah nyah! Can't catch us!" Meowth taunted, sticking his tongue out at Ash.

"We've got to help them!" Brock cried.

"Amber, go!" I cried, throwing a pokéball. My Aerodactyl appeared.

"_Aero!" _Amber croaked.

"Roxy, stay with Ash!" I cried and jumped onto Amber's back.

"Leela?!" Ash cried. Amber took off into the air.

"What the- an Aerodactyl? Aren't those supposed to be extinct?" James said.

"Talk about rare and powerful! We'll snitch the Aerodactyl and present it with Pikachu to the boss." Jessie said.

"Yea, we'll get a speed promotion, _meowth!_" Meowth said.

"In your dreams, Team Rocket! Amber, Hyper Beam now!" I cried. A green beam of light shot out of Amber's mouth and punctured a hole in the balloon.

"Dwaaaaah! Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off agaaaaaaaaaaain!" Team Rocket cried as they flew off into the distance.

"_Pikaaaaaaaaa!" _Pikachu cried. It had fallen out of the balloon basket when Amber punctured a hole in the balloon and was now falling at breakneck speed toward the ground.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter Forty-Six: Mew and Mewtwo and the Aura

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

"Amber, dive down! We have to save Pikachu!" I cried.

_  
"Aero!" _Amber said. She dived down below Pikachu. I caught Pikachu with both hands.

"It's okay Pikachu, I've got you! You'll be fine now." I said.

"_Pikachu chu!" _Pikachu cried. Amber landed softly on the ground.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried and ran over to us.

"_Pika pi!" _Pikachu said and jumped into Ash's arms.

"Thanks a lot! Leela, I owe you one!" Ash said, stroking Pikachu's head.

"That was amazing, Leela! You showed Team Rocket who was boss!" Nik exclaimed.

"Thanks!" I said and grinned.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said, jumping into my arms.

"_Aero!" _Amber said.

"Thanks Amber, great job." I said and stroked her head. Amber trilled happily and went inside her pokéball.

"Leela, that was so cool!" Heather said.

"Thanks." I said.

"You really have the markings of a great Trainer, Leela." Brock said.

"Thanks!" I said.

"Well, now that Pikachu's safe . . . . . we'd better get out of Wildfire City ASAP. Everyone either seems to want Pikachu or the Seeker Jewel." Darkaroe said.

"Yea. Since Nik's okay now . . . . . we'd better pack up and get moving." Garrison said.

****

After we had packed up and checked out of the building, Nik, Garrison, Hannah, Erin, Heather, and I walked over to the bike rack.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BIKE?!" I cried. Erin, Hannah, Garrison, and Heather pointed to Ash and Pikachu.

"Uhhhhhh . . . . . ." Ash said.

"Why'd you destroy my bike?!" I asked, stomping up to Ash.

"Uh . . . uh . . . it was an accident!" Ash protested. "I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't fix my bike!" I snapped.

"Hey, I . . . . !" Ash stared. Brock stepped in between us.

"Okay you guys, calm down. We've got to get out of here!" Brock said.

"Fine. Just don't you forget, Ash Ketchum, you owe me a new bike!" I said.

"Oh, great. Not the bike thing again . . . . . ." Brock muttered.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said.

****

Once we had gotten out of the city limits, Brock looked up worriedly at the sky.

"It looks kind of stormy up ahead." Brock said nervously.

"You're right; it does!" I said.

"_Vuuuuulpix!" _Roxy said, pressing her body against my leg.

"I hope we don't get caught in the middle in a torrential rainstorm." Nik said.

"Yea, it looks pretty bad." Garrison agreed.

"No need to worry! We'll outrun the storm!" Dawn said.

****

Half an hour later, rain was pouring down in sheets on us.

"I don't believe the storm came on that quickly!" Heather said.

"I'm soaked!" Dawn cried.

"We ALL are soaked, Dawn." Darkaroe said.

"Hey, there's a log cabin!" Nik said, pointing to a building. I ran up to the door and knocked on it. Nobody answered.

"I don't think anyone's here." Ash said and carefully opened the door. We all ran into the house.

"Hello? Anybody here?" Brock called. Nobody answered him. There was a staircase right in front of us.

"Let's explore!" Ash said, walking halfway up the stairs.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Ash. I wouldn't trust those stairs, they look centuries old." Brock said. Ash looked up and winced.

"You're right." Ash said and slowly walked down the stairs.

"Let's set up here." Dawn said.

"In the entry hall?" Hannah asked skeptically.

"Well, yea. Just in case we have to get out quickly." Dawn said.

"Oh, I never thought of that." Hannah said.

"I hope nobody comes." Erin said nervously

"No need to worry! We'll be all right." Dawn said.

"_Pika . . . ." _Pikachu said.

"Brock, can you make something?? I'm starving!" Ash said.

"I'm pretty hungry too." I said.

"Okay, I'll make something." Brock said. "Dawn, help me find the kitchen."

"Okay." Dawn said. She and Brock walked out of the room. While they were gone, we set up our sleeping bags.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said. I patted her head.

"I wonder how late it is." Darkaroe said.

"According to my watch, its 8:30." I said.

"I made everyone sandwiches!" Brock said, coming into the room and handing everyone a sandwich.

"Good! I'm hungry." Ash said.

"Ash, you're always hungry." I said.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu said. After we all finished our sandwiches, we all went to sleep.

****

"_Mew?" _Something said.

"Unnnnngh . . . ." I groaned.

"_Mew mew meeeew!" _the voice said again. I opened my eyes.

"M-mew?!" I asked. Mew giggled and floated over to Ash.

"_Mew mew!" _Mew said and shook Ash.

"Unnnnngh . . . . MEW!" Ash cried. Mew clasped a paw over Ash's mouth. I had absolutely no idea what to do. _Should I try to catch Mew? _I thought.

"Mmmmph!" Ash cried, waking me up from my thoughts.

"Ash!" I whispered. Mew removed its paw from Ash's mouth.

"Leela? What's Mew doing here?" Ash asked nervously.

"I don't know." I said, moving closer to him.

"_Mew!" _Mew said and floated out of the hall.

"I think Mew wants us to follow it." I said.

"Then let's go!" Ash said. I grabbed a flashlight and switched it on. Ash quickly got out of his sleeping bag and we followed Mew.

"_Mew!" _Mew cried. It floated into a dark room. Ash took my flashlight.

"Where did you go, Mew?" Ash whispered. Ash shined the light into the room.

"_Mew mew!" _Mew cried, covering its eyes.

"Oh, sorry!" Ash said and winced.

"_Mew mew! Mew mew mew mew!" _Mew said. It pointed to something that was glowing.

"What is that?" I asked.

"I don't know . . . ." Ash said.

"_Mew mew mew mew!" _Mew said, picking up the glowing thing.

"Oh, it's a necklace." Ash said, sighing.

"_Mew mew mew mew!" _Mew said. Mew floated over to me.

"Mew, no. I don't need another thing to protect." I said.

"_Mew mew mew!" _Mew said.

"You want me to wear it?" I asked. Mew nodded and handed me the necklace. I slipped it over my neck.

"_Mew mew mew!" _Mew said and clapped.

"So you came all this way just to give Leela a necklace?" Ash asked skeptically.

"_Mew!" _Mew said and shook its head. Mew started glowing.

"What's Mew doing?" I asked.

"Mew's shape-shifting." Ash said. When Mew stopped glowing, it had changed into a Dodrio.

"_Dodrio!" _Mew/Dodrio said.

"Does it want us to get on?" Ash asked.

"_Dodrio!" _Mew/Dodrio said.

"I think so." I said. We hopped onto Mew/Dodrio's back and it took off out of the back door through the freezing cold night. I shivered. Mew/Dodrio ran for at least fifteen minutes before it stopped in front of a large lake. Ash and I got off Mew/Dodrio and Mew/Dodrio shape-shifted back into Mew.

"Where are we?" Ash asked.

"_Mew!" _Mew said. Mew pointed to a strange-looking flower.

"What is that?" I asked kneeling next to it.

"It's a time flower." Ash said.

"A what?" I asked.

"A time flower. If a person with the power of aura touches it, it will show a vision from the past." Ash said.

"What's aura?" I asked bluntly.

"A life force that all living things have. Some people are born with the power to control it." Ash said.

"Oh." I said. "How come you know so much about it?"

"Because I have the power of aura." Ash said, looking down at the ground.

"Really?" I asked. Suddenly, something shoved me hard in my back. I fell on top of the time flower. "Ouuuuch . . . . ." I groaned.

"_Mew mew mew mew!" _Mew giggled. I winced and got off the time flower. The time flower glowed and opened.

"Huh?" I asked. Then there was a flash of white light, and a holographic Mewtwo appeared, eyes sealed shut and sitting against a tree.

"Mewtwo!" I cried.

"Leela . . . . Ash . . . . if you can hear me . . . . I can't help you anymore. Just don't worry about me . . . . Shaymin will heal my wounds . . . . but until then . . . . good-bye, my friends. Leela, please don't ask any questions . . . ." Mewtwo said, a faint smile on his lips.

"Mewtwo . . . ." I said.

"So, good-bye, my friends. Don't worry, we will meet again . . . ." Mewtwo said.

"Don't go!" I cried, but Mewtwo had gone. The time flower had closed. "Mewtwo . . . ." I said again, a single tear sliding down my cheek. Ash put a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him. There were tears in Ash's eyes as well.

"Leela . . . . did you know what that was?" Ash asked finally.

"Ummm . . . a vision from the past?" I asked.

"Yea. And YOU touched the time flower, not me." Ash said. "So that means you have the power of aura too!"

"What?!" I said.

"_Mew mew!" _Mew said.

"You . . . . knew?" I asked. Mew nodded. I sat down on a rock.

"So I'm not an ordinary girl . . . . ." I said softly.

"Come on Leela, cheer up." Ash said.

"I can't believe Mewtwo's gone." I said. Ash's lip quivered.

"I know . . . ." Ash said. Two more tears slipped down my cheeks. Mew wiped away my tears with its tail.

"_Mew mew!" _Mew said. Mew shape-shifted into a Dodrio again. Ash and I silently climbed onto Mew/Dodrio's back and it dashed back towards the log cabin.

****

Once we had gotten back to the log cabin, I stroked one of Mew/Dodrio's heads.

"Thank you, Mew." I said.

"_Dodrio!" _Mew/Dodrio said.

"Come on Leela, let's get at least a little sleep." Ash said, pulling my arm.

"You're right. Okay." I said. Ash and I went back into the cabin. We walked into the entry hall. Everyone was still fast asleep.

"Well, good night Leela." Ash said, handing me back my flashlight. I smiled weakly at him and took it.

"Thanks. Good night, Mr. Pokémon Master." I said.

"Good night, Mrs. Pay Me Back For My Bike Or I'll Kill You." Ash said.

"Hey!" I said and laughed.

"Are we cool with that now?" Ash asked.

"Cool with what? What happened to my bike?! No way! You still need to buy me a new one!" I said.

"Okay, okay, I get it! Just wondering." Ash said.

"Good night, Ash." I said, climbing into my sleeping bag.

"Good night, Leela." Ash said, climbing into his sleeping bag and closing his eyes. I sighed. Once Ash was snoring, I snuck out of the house and dashed back to the lake where Mew had taken us. I looked out at the lake. I went down onto my knees.

"Mewtwo . . . . if you can hear me . . . . hear me now! I won't fail you! I'll keep the gem safe and deliver it in your memory, I promise! I'll never let you down! I'll figure out the prophecy with Ash and I oak lan (whoever he is)! I am not afraid! I am determined! And while I'm at it, I'll become a Pokémon Master, better than even Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Pikachu! I promise!" I declared. I stood up, feeling much better. I wiped my eyes and walked off back in the direction of the cabin. Once I had gotten into the back door, who should have appeared but . . . . Nikolai! _Busted, _I thought.

"Leela! Where the heck were you?! I was so . . . . . !" Nik started. I clasped my hand around his mouth.

"Shhhhh! Do you want to wake up the entire house?!" I hissed.

"Mmmph!!" Nik said behind my hand. I sighed and took my hand off his mouth.

"What are you doing up?" I said.

"I think you're in a better position to answer that, Leela." Nik said coldly, crossing his arms. I sighed.

"I don't want to talk about it." I said, looking down at the ground.

"Why? What happened?" Nik asked, uncrossing his arms.

"I told you, I don't want to talk about it. It's . . . . . . rather painful." I said.

"Oh Leela . . . . . ." Nik said, hugging me.

"Thanks, Nik." I said.

"What's that around your neck?" Nik asked, releasing me.

"Oh, this?" I asked, holding up the necklace Mew gave me. Nik nodded. "It's just a necklace."

"Where'd you get it?" Nik asked.

"I . . . um . . . I got it from my house." I lied. Nik gave me a Look. "Oh fine, Mew gave it to me." I said.

"What?!" Nik asked.

"Mew gave me this necklace tonight. It woke Ash and I up in the middle of the night and gave me this necklace. Then Mew shape-shifted into a Dodrio and took Ash and I to this lake with a time flower . . . ." I started.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's a time flower?" Nik asked.

"It's a flower that if someone with the power of aura touches it, it shows a vision from the past." I said.

"Wait . . . . what's aura?" Nik asked.

"It's a life force that flows through all things. Ash said some people can control its powers . . . . Ash has that power . . . . and so do I." I said.

"What do you mean? How did you figure that out?" Nik asked.

"When I touched the time flower . . . . . it showed a vision from the past." I said.

"Okay, okay, let me get this straight. Mew woke you and Ash up in the middle of the night, gave you a necklace, and took you to this lake, and there was a time flower there and you touched it, and it showed a vision from the past." Nik summarized.

"Yes. You do believe me, don't you?" I asked.

"Of course I do!" Nik said. "What was the vision from the past?"

"Well . . . . that's what's really upsetting . . . . it was Mewtwo . . . . dieing." I said, a tear sliding down my cheek.

"Mewtwo . . . . dieing? Of what? Old age?" Nik asked.

"It looked like something had severely injured him." I said.

"But Mewtwo's a legendary! What could've injured him so badly he died?" Nik asked.

"I don't know . . . . . . but he gave us a message. He said he couldn't help us any longer, and that we'll meet again." I said.

"Where'd he say you'd meet?" Nik asked. I frowned.

"He didn't say anything about where." I said.

"Hmmmmm . . . . . strange. But Mewtwo . . . . dead? I don't believe it." Nik said. I wiped my eyes and sniffed. Nik looked into my teary hazel eyes.

"Me neither." I said and hugged him. At least five minutes passed before we let go. "Nik, thanks. You're my best friend." I said.

"Even better than Ash Ketchum?" Nik asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously.

"You two seem . . . . oh, I don't know . . . . awfully chummy." Nik said.

"Um . . . . . so? What's wrong with making new friends?" I asked.

"Um . . . . nothing, I guess." Nik said. I gave Nik a questioning look.

"Why don't you like him?" I asked.

"Why do YOU like him?!" Nik spat. I was caught completely off guard by his question.

"I . . . . um . . . . I . . . ." I stammered, unable to answer his question.

"Well?" Nik asked.

"I . . . . I can't answer that question, Nikolai! It's too personal!" I said finally. Nik raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. We stood there in silence for a few minutes. "If we're going to Rockymouth City tomorrow, we should probably get some sleep." I said finally. Nik nodded stiffly. We walked back out into the entrance hall, where my friends were still sleeping peacefully on the floor. "Good night, Nik." I said.

"Good night, Leela. Are you still mad at me?" Nik asked.

"I thought you were still mad at me!" I said.

"I can't be mad at you for very long; you know that, don't you?" Nik asked. I smiled.

"Yes." I said and hugged him.

"Good night." Nik said, releasing me.

"Good night." I said. We went into our sleeping bags and fell asleep (well, I did anyway).

****

"Leela!" Something said.

"Mewtwo . . . . is that you?" I groaned.

"Nope! Open your eyes!" the voice said. I opened my eyes.

"Omigosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lugia?!" I cried.

"Yes, it is I." Lugia said, spreading its wings.

"What are you doing here?!" I asked.

"Frankly, I'm not sure." Lugia said, scratching its head.

"Ummmm . . . . okay . . . ." I said.

"But of course, you know I'm not the real Lugia." Lugia said.

"Ummmm . . . . . you're . . . . . not?" I asked.

"Of course not! You're dreaming! I was created by your imagination." Lugia said.

"So if you were created by my imagination . . . . . when I was dreaming about Mewtwo and the prophecy that was all my imagination, too?" I asked.

"Nope, of course not! Those dreams were sent by Mewtwo." Lugia said.

"If you're my imagination, how do I know what you're saying is true?" I asked. Lugia opened and closed its mouth a few times, clearly taken aback by my question. Then Lugia flew off.

"No! Lugia! WAIT!" I shouted, jerking awake. I looked around rapidly. The sun was shining through the windows.

"_Vulpix vul!" _Roxy said, jumping out of my sleeping bag.

"Good morning, Roxy." I said, stroking her back. I stretched and climbed out of my sleeping bag. I looked down at my watch. It was 8 o' clock in the morning. I sighed. Then, Heather stirred. I walked over to her sleeping bag.

"Heather? Are you awake?" I asked.

"I am now." Heather said, her head popping out of her sleeping bag. "Are you okay? You don't look like you got very much sleep at all."

"I didn't." I said truthfully.

"What happened?" Heather asked.

"What happened to Ash and I last night . . . . everyone should know." I said.

"You and Ash?" Heather asked curiously.

"_Yes._ Wake up everyone." I said.

"Um . . . . . okay." Heather said. She walked over to Garrison and started shaking him.

"Erin!" I said and shook her.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAT??" She groaned.

"Get up! Wake up Darkaroe or something." I said.

"Why?" Erin asked, sitting up.

"Because . . . . something really weird happened to Ash and I last night and everyone needs to know." I said.

"Okay. But I am NOT waking up Darkaroe." Erin said and started shaking Hannah. Heather had gotten Garrison up and he was shaking Brock, while Heather had proceeded to shake Dawn.

****

Once everyone had gotten up, Ash and I told everyone what had happened last night. (Nikolai pretended this was all new to him. I kept giving him grateful looks the entire time Ash and I were speaking.) After out tale was over, there was complete stone silence.

"So . . . . . Mewtwo was . . . . . dieing?" Hannah asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"That's what it seemed like." Ash said.

"Hmmm . . . . ." Erin said.

"So Leela has the aura too??" Brock asked.

"I guess so . . . . ." I said.

"What do you think it all means?" Heather asked.

"No need to worry! We'll figure it out sooner or later!" Dawn said cheerily.

"Hopefully sooner than later." Garrison pointed out. Suddenly, someone's stomach growled. Brock laughed.

"Well, we won't figure out anything sooner OR later without something to eat. I'll make breakfast." Brock said.

"Thanks, Brock." Ash said. Brock disappeared into the kitchen.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said. The stomach growled again.

"Okay, who is that??" Darkaroe asked.

"_Pika pi!" _Pikachu said, pointing to Ash.

"Well that's no surprise." Dawn said. "Just make sure you WASH YOUR HANDS before you eat!"

"I will, I will!" Ash said.

"Good!" Dawn said. We laughed.

"We should probably start packing up." Nik said.

"Yea. I've got to get to Rockymouth City before Jordan does!" I said.

"And there's also the Battle Frontier that's on an island not far from Rockymouth City. There's a ferry there." Ash said.

"AWESOME!! I've always wanted to battle in the Battle Frontier!" I said.

"Well, now you have a chance." Erin said.

"I know! I'm so excited!" I said.

"Breakfast's ready!" Brock called from the kitchen.

****

After we had eaten breakfast, we hit the road again.

"Geez . . . . . . I don't think I've ever been this tired . . . . ." I said and yawned.

"Me neither . . . . . . I feel like someone hit me over the head with a hammer . . . . . DWAH!" Ash shouted, collapsing on the ground.

"Ash!" I cried. We all whirled around. Team Rocket was standing right behind us.

"Nice one, James." Jessie said to James, who was holding an oversized hammer.

"Team Rocket!" We cried.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy cried.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said.

"We'll take Pikachu now, thank you." James said, picking up Pikachu.

"_Meowth, _dat's right!" Meowth said.

"Roxy, Flamethrower!" I cried. Roxy breathed fire on Team Rocket. Unfortunately, Pikachu got caught in it too.

"_Pi . . . . ." _Pikachu groaned.

"We've been barbecued, _meowth!_" Meowth cried. James dropped Pikachu and Team Rocket ran off down the road, crying, "Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

"Good job, Roxy." I said and hugged her. I scooped up burnt Pikachu and knelt down next to Ash.

"Is he okay?" Dawn asked worriedly. I shook Ash.

"Ash, wake up!" I said. Ash didn't move. I shook Ash as vigorously as I could. He still didn't wake up. I sighed. "Ash, WAKE UP!" I cried, slapping him across the face.

"Ouch! What did you do that for?!" Ash cried, sitting up and rubbing his cheek.

"That was for destroying my bike!!" I said.

"What happened to Pikachu?!" Ash cried, taking Pikachu from me.

"Roxy hit him with Flamethrower by accident." I said.

"_Pika pi . . . . . ."_ Pikachu groaned.

"Here, I have some Potion that might help." I said. I handed the purple bottle to Ash. Ash took the bottle and sprayed the Potion all over Pikachu.

"How'd you hit Pikachu with Flamethrower by accident??" Ash asked.

"James was holding Pikachu, so I couldn't see what else I could do other than have Roxy use Flamethrower. Since James was holding Pikachu in front of him, Pikachu got the full brunt of the attack." I said.

"The Potion seems to be working!" Erin said. Pikachu stood up and jumped on Ash's shoulder.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu said.

"That'll have to do until we reach a Pokémon Center." Darkaroe said.

"Let's get going." Ash said and stood up.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter Forty-Seven: Greenalia's Return

We trekked on for a few more hours. I stepped forward and suddenly a geyser sprang up in my face.

"DWAAAAAH!" I cried, jumping back. Suddenly, four or five geysers sprang up behind the one that sprang up in my face.

"Whoa . . . . . how are we supposed to get past these?" Nik asked.

"We can't. If we try to run through them we'll get scalded by hot water." Garrison said.

"So how are we supposed to get through? Do we have to turn back?" Hannah asked.

"No, we don't have to go back. We just have to wait until they go down." Brock said.

"How long will that be?" Ash asked.

"I don't know . . . . . . but it could take a week." Brock said.

"A WEEK?!" I shrieked.

"We can't wait that long!" Ash protested. Brock shrugged.

"There's nothing I can do about it." Brock said.

"Well, I suggest we pitch the tents." Darkaroe said. We all groaned.

"_Vulpix . . . . ." _Roxy sighed.

****

After we pitched all of the tents, Brock quickly made lunch.

"I can't believe we're stuck here." Ash said, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"Me too....." I said.

"Hey, look over there!" Darkaroe said, pointing.

"Whoa, is that a hot spring?" Erin asked.

"Yea! Awesome! We can swim!" Heather said.

****

After we had all gotten our bathing suits on, we waded into the clear, steaming water.

"Oooh, the water's perfect!" Darkaroe cried, ducking his head under the water.

"_Pika pikachuuuuuuuuuuu!"_ Pikachu cried, doing a cannonball into the water from on a rock ledge.

"_Vulpix vuuuuuuuuuuuuuul!" _Roxy cried, jumping into the water after him.

"Ooh, I know! We should let out all of our pokémon so that they can have fun too!" I said.

"Good idea." Ash said. After we had released all of our pokémon, we waded back into the water again. I ducked my head into the water. When I came up for air, I was right behind Ash. I grinned and splashed him. Ash slowly turned around. I was now in total hysterics. Ash grinned and splashed me back.

"Eeep! I'm going to get you!!!" I shrieked, splashing him.

"I'm using Surf!" Ash laughed and pushed a wave of water toward me, but I moved out of the way and it hit Brock instead. Brock turned around. I pointed at Ash. "Uh . . . . ." Ash said.

****

Five minutes later, we all were in an enormous water fight.

"Oh, splash me, will you? Take that!" Darkaroe cried, drenching Erin. Erin giggled. Suddenly, someone pushed my head under the water. I came up to the surface, coughing and spluttering. I turned around furiously. Nik was laughing hysterically. I pushed Nik under the water.

"How do you like being dunked, huh?!" I asked, giggling. Nik broke the surface.

"I actually kind of like it." He said, looking into my eyes.

"CANONBAAAAAAAAAALL!" Brock shouted, jumping into the spring and sending a huge tidal wave through the spring. I ducked under the water and swum towards the other end of the pool. When I popped up, I looked behind me. Ash was staring at me, wide-eyed.

"What?" I asked him.

"You swim just like Misty . . . ." Ash said.

"Who?" I asked.

"Oh, just a girl I traveled with through Kanto, Johto, and the Orange Islands. We're really good friends." Ash said, a faraway look in his eyes. I felt a small pang of jealousy.

"Oh . . . . ." I said.

"She gave me this lure." Ash said. He reached into his swimsuit pocket and dug out a lure that looked like a girl with orange hair in a sideways ponytail and green eyes. "Nice, isn't it?"

"Um . . . . . yes." I said. "Is that what she looks like?"

"Yup." Ash said, sticking the lure back in his pocket.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy cried.

"What is it, Roxy?" I asked, wading over to her.

"_Vulpix vul! Vulpix vulpix vulpix vul!" _Roxy cried.

"Hey, there's a person coming up the road." Hannah said, pointing to the road. I squinted. _Is that . . . . ._ I thought.

"Greenalia!" Brock cried, dashing out of the water to meet her. We all walked out of the water just in time to see Brock fling his arms around Greenalia's neck.

"Ewww! Brock, you're all wet!" Greenalia squeaked.

"Oh, sorry . . . . ." Brock said, backing off.

"What are you doing here, G?" Darkaroe asked.

"Yea, I thought you went back to your Gym." Erin said.

"I did. But Fern beat me." Greenalia said.

"What?! Fern with her tiny Seedot??" Darkaroe asked.

"She didn't just have her Seedot with her. She had a Venausaur, Bayleef, and Grotle with her too. And her Seedot evolved into a Nuzleaf." Greenalia said.

"Oh . . . . ." Darkaroe said.

"So now Fern is the new Gym leader?" Heather asked.

"Yes. But here's the good part . . . . . I figured out I preferred to take care of my pokémon rather than battle them. So I decided to become a Pokémon Breeder, like Brock!" Greenalia said. Brock was all red in the face and opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

"Well, enough talk about me. How are you guys? Leela, Ash, did your dreams stop?" Greenalia asked.

"Nope!" Ash said cheekily.

"They actually got weirder." I said. Ash and I told Greenalia what had happened, from Mewtwo's prophecy to the Seeker Jewel to how I had discovered I had aura.

"Sounds like a lot happened in not very much time . . . . ." Greenalia said when we were done explaining.

"You've got that right." Ash said.

"Especially the whole thing with the Seeker Jewel and everything . . . . I wonder if it's connected with the prophecy somehow . . . . ." Darkaroe said.

"I never thought of that!" I said.

"Whoa, look at the time!" Dawn said, suddenly looking at her watch.

"Ooh, it's late." Ash said.

"Let's change into our clothes and I'll make dinner." Brock said.

"I'll help you." Greenalia said. Brock gave her a big grin.

****

After we were all back into our regular clothes, the camp was bustling with activity. Nik, Garrison, and Ash were sitting on a rock talking, Roxy and Pikachu were playing tag, Hannah and Heather were out catching wild pokémon, Erin and Darkaroe were chatting by the hot spring and Dawn was watching Greenalia and Brock make lunch. I sat down next to Dawn.

"Looks like Brock got lucky, huh?" I asked. Dawn laughed.

"Yup." Dawn said.

"Do you think they're going to get married?" I asked.

"Can you imagine Brock being married?" Dawn asked.

"Um . . . . no." I said. "They'd probably be married for a few weeks and then Greenalia'd kick him out because he was flirting with a Nurse Joy." I said.

"Exactly." Dawn said. "Where's Heather, Hannah, and Erin?"

"Heather and Hannah are out and Erin is over there." I said, gesturing to Erin and Darkaroe.

"Oh." Dawn said. "How long have you been friends?"

"Ever since I can remember." I said.

"Cool. I've known one of my rivals, Kenny, for as long as I can remember. We're pretty good friends." Dawn said.

"So just because you're rivals doesn't mean you have to be enemies . . . . ." I said.

"Of course not; you and Ash are a perfect example!" Dawn said.

"Me and Ash?? What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I'm talking about you and Ash!!! You're good friends, aren't you?" Dawn asked.

"Well . . . . . yea . . . . . . but I haven't known him for very long." I said.

"So?? That doesn't mean you're not friends!" Dawn said.

"Um, yea. We're friends . . . . . but that doesn't mean I don't have the guts to beat him!" I said. Dawn laughed.

"Good luck beating him." Dawn said.

"I don't need luck! With Roxy and all my other pokémon by my side, I'll collect all of my Mothemm badges, make it to Victory Island, and become Champion of Mothemm! Ash may be my friend, but I'm not afraid to crush him if he's in my way!" I said. "I'll do whatever it takes to become a Pokémon Master!"

"Within reason, right?" Dawn asked fearfully.

"Uh, yea." I said.

"You sound just like Ash!" Dawn said, smiling. I grinned.

"So exactly how long have you known Kenny?" I asked.

"Er . . . . . . I'm not sure. He calls me 'Dee-dee' sometimes." Dawn said.

"Really?? Like how Nik calls me 'Lee' sometimes??" I asked.

"Yea, sort of. Ash told me Gary used to call him 'Ashy-boy'." Dawn said.

"Ash told me that too! Jordan called me 'Leela Locke from Loser Town' at the party." I said.

"Jordan . . . . . that was the brown-haired girl with the Solrock at the Contest, right?" Dawn asked.

"Yes, that was her." I said, wincing. "She was at the Elite Four Meet and Greet too."

"Wow, really?" Dawn asked.

"Yea. She asked if I snuck in with Ash and I said I got an invitation and why they gave one to her I'll never know. She was about to spit something nasty back at me, but the Elite appeared." I said.

"Oh, huh. Did you really dance with Gary?" Dawn asked.

"Yea, I did." I said.

"Was he good?" Dawn asked.

"Good at what?" I asked.

"Dancing, silly!" Dawn laughed.

"Oh. Yea, he was pretty good." I said.

"Did you think he was cuuuute?" Dawn asked.

"NO!" I said.

"Okay, just asking." Dawn said, sounding offended.

"Dinner's ready!" Brock called.

"Oh good, I'm so hungry!!!" Ash said.

"You're always hungry!" I said. Dawn laughed.

"Just make sure you wash your haaaaAAAAAaands!" Dawn giggled.

"Oh, FINE." Ash said. He walked over to the hot spring, muttering darkly under his breath.

"What's up with Ash?" Erin asked, walking over to Dawn and I.

"I just told Ash to wash his hands." Dawn said gleefully.

"In that case, we'd better get some food before he eats it all." Erin said.

"Hahaha, good idea. Here comes Heather and Hannah!" I said. We got food for ourselves and Heather and Hannah and we sat down not too far from Ash and Pikachu, who were bolting down their lunch as usual.

"So did you guys catch anything?" I asked.

"I caught a Jigglypuff. I nicknamed it Jiggly." Hannah said.

"I caught an Oddish." Heather said.

"I wish I went now . . . . ." I said.

"We asked you!" Heather said and shrugged.

"I know, I know!" I said.

"Look, a star!" Erin said, pointing up.

"Where?" I asked, putting down my empty bowl.

"Right there." Erin said.

"Oh, I see it now." Heather said. I lay down on the ground.

"Ooh, there's another one!" I said, pointing to the sky.

"Where?" Ash asked, lying down next to me.

"Right where I'm pointing." I said skeptically.

"Oh. I see it." Ash said.

"_Pikachu." _Pikachu sighed. I yawned. I was still extremely tired from last night. _I'll just take a quick nap and I'll wake up before anyone knows I'm asleep._ I thought and closed my eyes.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter Forty-Eight: Leela's Defeat

"Leela, wake up!" A voice cried, shaking me. I groaned and opened my eyes. Erin was shaking me.

"It's . . . . . . morning?" I asked, dazed.

"Yup!" Erin said. I sat up and looked around. Ash was lying right next to me on the ground, asleep. I scratched the back of my neck, starting to blush.

"How come nobody woke me up??" I asked.

"We tried, but you and Ash were both out. O-U-T. No matter how hard we shook you two, you wouldn't wake up." Heather said, walking over and kneeling next to me.

"Weird . . . . ." I said and rubbed my eyes.

"You two looked so peaceful." Heather said. I sighed.

"_Pika pika!" _Pikachu said, coming out of the boy's tent and shaking Ash. _"Pika pi! Pika pi pika pikachu!"_ Ash groaned. _"PiiiikaaaCHOOOOOOOOO!" _Pikachu cried, using a Thunderbolt on Ash. Ash jolted upright.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAH! Okay Pikachu . . . . . . I'm awake . . . . . ." Ash groaned.

"Good morning, Ash." I said. Ash jumped up and turned around.

"Oh . . . . . hi Leela." Ash said. "How come I was sleeping outside?"

"You fell asleep outside." Erin said.

"Well, how come you didn't wake me up?" Ash asked.

"We tried, but we couldn't. You were out cold." Heather said.

"Oh . . . . . . ." Ash said quietly.

"Did you know you were sleeping right next to Leela?" Erin asked.

"Mmmmhmmm . . . . . . . WHUH?!" Ash cried, suddenly realizing what Erin had asked. I could've fallen down laughing at the expression on his face.

"You two looked really peaceful." Heather said.

"Breakfast's ready!" Brock's voice called. We all turned around. Ash rushed off toward the campfire where everyone else was sitting and waving cheerily, except Nik, who was staring into his plate and looking kind of sad.

"Good morning, everyone!" I said, walking up to the campfire.

"Good morning, Leela." Everyone said. Brock handed me a plate with two steaming pancakes on it.

"Enjoy!" Brock said. I smiled at him.

"Thanks." I said. I sat down on a rock. "Where's the syrup?"

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy yawned and sat on my lap.

"Good morning, Roxy!" I said.

"I've got it." Nik said, handing the syrup to me, avoiding my eyes. It was clear he was extremely upset about something.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing." Nik said. It was clear he was lying, but I knew not to push him. I dunked syrup all over my pancakes.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said, looking up at me and opening her mouth. I smiled and fed her some pancake. Suddenly, my PokéGear rang.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hello, hello! Is this Leela?" the voice yelled. I held the receiver a foot from my ear.

"Yes . . . . . ." I said cautiously. "Who is this?"

"It's Professor Maple! Sorry, I'm still getting used to these things . . . . . how's Kieran with his Torchic?" the voice said.

"Why couldn't you call him?" I asked.

"He wouldn't pick up." Professor Maple said.

"Oh . . . . . . . he's not with me anymore . . . . . . . but I'm sure he's doing great!" I said quickly.

"Ah. Well, your pokémon are doing great in the PC, and so are your friends' pokémon. Don't worry, they're in excellent hands." Professor Maple said.

"Thanks, Professor! Tell all of my pokémon that their Trainer says hello!" I said.

"I will! Oh, pizza's here! Got to run. Mmmmmm. Anchovy, brussel sprout and papaya pizza!" Professor Maple said before hanging up.

"Anchovy, brussel sprout and papaya pizza????" I asked incredulously. "Gross!" Ash laughed.

"Pokémon Professors sometimes have weird tastes." Brock said, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"I guess." I mumbled and stuck the PokéGear back into my bag. I started eating my pancakes.

"Hey, look!" Hannah said, pointing to the enormous geysers. "The geysers are going down!"

"Hey, you're right!" Erin said.

"Hooray, we'll be able to get through them soon!" Heather said.

"Let's pack up and get moving!" Brock said.

"YEA!!!" We all cheered.

****

After we had all packed up, the last geyser had sunken back down into the ground. I gingerly stepped on where a geyser had been. Nothing happened.

"Let's go!" I cried.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said. We took off down the road.

"Jorock, here I cooooooome!" I cried.

"Ummm . . . . . Leela?" Darkaroe asked.

"Huh?" I asked, looking back at him.

"I've battled Jorock once . . . . . and he was really good. He pulverized all of my pokémon. They've been scared of Rock-types ever since." Darkaroe said.

"Gee, I wish I'd known that . . . . . I would've used Onix instead of Luxio . . . . ." Nik said. Darkaroe laughed.

"I'm not scared of one wimpy Gym Leader!" Ash said firmly. "I've defeated five different leagues, I'm not going to back down now!"

"_Pika!" _Pikachu agreed.

"Hah! I don't care how tough Jorock is, I can handle _him_! Right, Roxy?" I said.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy nodded.

"Don't get too cocky, Leela. You don't have very much experience behind your back; that'll set you at a disadvantage." Darkaroe said.

"So? Don't worry about me; I'll do just fine, you'll see!" I said.

"Look there! I see cliffs!" Erin said.

"Those are the Wishmish Cliffs." Brock said, reaching back into his backpack and grabbing a book titled: A Traveler's Guide to the World. "The Wishmish Cliffs are made entirely of worn granite and meet the Fiore Sea (see page 37). They are 65 feet high and stretch from the north of Mothemm to the south." Brock read.

"Wow . . . . ." I said.

"Don't they look so romantic?" Greenalia asked, grabbing Brock's arm.

"Yea, they do!" Brock said.

"I wonder why they're called the Wishmish Cliffs . . . . . ." I said.

"Yea, that's weird." Nik said.

"According to this book, if we follow the cliffs we'll reach Rockymouth City!" Brock said.

"Great!" I said.

"Hey, look! I see Frontier Island!" Nik said, pointing to a brown speck on the horizon.

"Frontier Island?" Dawn asked. Brock opened his book again.

"Frontier Island is where the Battle Frontier of Mothemm is. There are four different battle stations, each with their own special rules and they are run by a Frontier Brain (see general information, page 90) . . . ."

"Come _on_, let's go!" Ash cried, running off down the road.

"Yes, Mr. Pokémon Master, we're coming." Nik muttered under his breath. _How come Nik and Ash can't just get along??_ I thought. Brock threw his book back into his backpack and we ran off after Ash.

"I see it! I see it! It's very faint, but it's there! Rockymouth City!" Ash cried.

"YES!" I cried, punching the air. "Jorock, here I come!"

****

Two hours later, we had checked into a hotel, and we were all hanging out in our separate rooms while Brock was making dinner.

"Yes!" I said somewhat randomly.

"What?" Hannah asked.

"We're here!" I said, as if that explained everything.

"Um . . . . . so that means . . . . . ?" Heather asked cautiously.

"All I need to do is defeat Jorock and I can battle in the Battle Frontier!!" I said excitedly.

"What's so special about the Battle Frontier?" Erin asked.

"Yea, you don't need the Frontier Brain's Frontier Symbols to challenge the Elite." Hannah said.

"She wants to impress Ash, that's why she wants to battle in the Battle Frontier!" Heather giggled.

"That's not true!" I cried. "I want to battle in the Battle Frontier because . . . . . well . . . . . because it's there!" I said.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said. Brock opened the door.

"Dinner's ready!" He said. "Tell Greenalia and Dawn."

"Okay." I said. Erin, Heather, and Hannah walked into the boys' room while I opened the door to Greenalia and Dawn's room. They were beading each other's hair.

"Hi guys!" I said. "Dinner's ready."

"Okay, we'll be there in a few minutes." Greenalia said.

"Okay." I said and closed the door. I walked into the boys' room, where Ash was bolting down his supper, as usual.

"_Pikachu chu!" _Pikachu said and waved cheerily to me. I grinned.

"Where's Greenalia and Dawn??" Brock asked.

"They're coming in a few minutes. They're beading each other's hair." I said.

"Oh. Okay." Brock said. Then Greenalia and Dawn came into the room, their hair shining with gorgeous rainbow-colored beads.

"Sorry we're late." Greenalia said.

"Oh . . . . . no problem . . . . . ." Brock said, his eyes fixed on Greenalia.

"Ash Ketchum, did you wash your hands?" Dawn asked.

"Uhh . . . . of course I did! See?" Ash asked, holding up his extremely grubby hands.

"ASH!" Dawn cried. Ash looked at his hands.

"Oh . . . . ahahahahaha . . . ." Ash laughed nervously. Dawn grabbed his coat hood and dragged him away to the bathroom while the rest of us were laughing hysterically.

****

"I can't wait to challenge Jorock tomorrow!" I said.

"Leela, I'm just . . . . . . ." Darkaroe said.

"Darkaroe, why are you so worried about ME?? Chill out, okay? I'll do just fine!" I said.

"Okay, okay, geez." Darkaroe said.

"Good night everyone!" I said.

"Good night!" My friends that were boys called. All of us girls filed out of the boy's room.

"Good night, Greenalia and Dawn." I said.

"Good night!" Greenalia and Dawn said and went into their room.

"Okay Roxy, tomorrow's another Gym challenge! You excited?" I asked.

"_Vul vulpix!" _Roxy said and grinned.

"I really don't know what you're so excited about. It sounds like it'll be a tough fight to win against Jorock!" Erin said.

"And I can't see what you're all afraid of. My pokémon can handle anything!" I said proudly.

"Don't you think you're being just a little bit overconfident, Leela?" Hannah asked.

"You've got to think big! If you don't have the faith in yourself, you won't get anywhere in life!" I said.

"Well, Leela, becoming a Pokémon Master won't be a walk in the park . . . . . . just ask Ash Ketchum!" Heather said.

"I _know_! I'll have my losses, I know, but I'll pull through them. Even the very best, seemingly unbeatable pokémon teams have their weaknesses!" I said. "If I don't do it now, I'll do it later! I've promised myself that I'll become a Pokémon Master, and I'm not stopping until I'm number one!"

"Even if it means you and Ash becoming bitter enemies?" Hannah asked. There was a long silence. I winced.

"Um . . . . . . I'll get back to you on that." I said finally.

"Guys, it's really late, we should go to bed." Heather pointed out.

"You're right." Erin said and yawned.

"Good night everyone!" I said.

****

"Leela, Leela! Wake up!" Someone called.

"M-Mewtwo??" I said.

"NO! Open your eyes!" The voice said. I opened my eyes.

"Oh, good morning Heather." I said.

"_Vul . . . . ." _Roxy groaned.

"Good morning, Roxy." I said.

"Ready to challenge Jorock today?" Hannah asked. I jumped out of my bed.

"You bet!" I said.

"I hope so. Jorock seems to be really tough." Erin said.

"Honestly, Erin, do you have to believe EVERYTHING Darkaroe says??" I said. Erin just harrumphed and resigned to eating a doughnut.

"Ooh, can I have a doughnut??" I asked.

"Sure." Hannah said, handing me one.

"Where'd you get these doughnuts? Mmm, these are good." I said, taking a bite.

"Good old Greenalia." Heather sighed. I grinned.

"It's great to have her back, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yea. She makes wonderful doughnuts!!" Erin said.

"Are we the only ones up?" I asked.

"I think so." Heather said, looking around nervously.

"The view is really pretty. . . ." I said, staring out of the window. Suddenly, what looked like an armor-plated bird came flying into the window.

"WHAT'S THAT?!" Hannah cried. "It's scary!!!" I quickly pulled out my PokéDex.

"_Skamory." _My 'Dex chirped. _"The armor bird pokémon. Its body is covered in plated steel." _

"Hmm . . . . . I'll catch it!" I said.

"WHAT?!" My friends cried.

"Roxy, Flamethrower!" I cried. Roxy breathed fire all over the Skamory.

"_Skam!" _The Skamory said.

"That should do it! Pokéball, go!" I called, throwing it. The pokéball shook vigorously. Then it clicked. I slowly walked toward the pokéball and picked it up.

"Awesome!!! I caught a Skamory!!!!" I said.

"Cool! What's her nickname?" Heather asked.

"Skimmy." I said. I put Thunderbolt in the PC.

"Hey, why don't we wake the boys up????" Hannah said.

"WHY?!?!?!?!?!?" We cried.

"Just 'cuz." Hannah said. Suddenly, the door burst open.

"Hey guys!" Dawn said.

"Hi Dawn." We said.

"I caught a Skamory!!!" I said.

"Cool!" Greenalia said, appearing next to Dawn.

****

After everyone had gotten up, we took a quick stop at the Pokémon Center and headed to the Gym.

"The sea breeze feels so good on your face . . . . ." Dawn said.

"I love the ocean." Erin agreed.

"Too bad there's just cliffs here and no beaches . . . . ." Ash said. I grinned.

"Well, we could always jump over the cliffs . . . . ." I said.

"VERY FUNNY!" Ash said.

"Hey look, there it is!" Erin said.

"Awesome!!!! LET'S GET OUR NEXT GYM BADGE!!!!" I cried.

****

Once we had walked into the Gym, there was a boy with deep brown hair and brown eyes sitting cross-legged in a spotlight.

"He's so cute!!!" Hannah squeaked. I gave her a little kick in the shin.

"Well, you must be my next challengers." The boy said. "I'm Jorock. Who cares to challenge me first???"

"I DO!!!!!!!" Ash cried.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said.

"Hmmph. Very well. Follow me into the battle room." Jorock said. Ash and Jorock walked into a room and shut the door.

"Geez, how come in Mothemm you can't watch other people's Gym battles????" Brock asked.

"Well, there's a video camera in each Gym's battle room here, and good battles are broadcasted on TV." Garrison said.

"Ooh, that's cool." Dawn said.

"I wonder if I got on TV. . . ." I said.

"You probably did." Heather said.

"I still want to watch Ash's battle . . . . . ." Brock said.

****

After everyone else had battled Jorock, it was finally my turn.

"We will each use ONE pokémon, understood?" Jorock asked. I nodded. "Okay. Rhyperior, go!!!" Jorock cried, throwing a pokéball. An enormous Rhyperior appeared.

"RHYPERIOR?!" I cried and pulled out my PokéDex.

"_Rhyperior." _My PokéDex said. _"The most evolved form of Rhyhorn. It contracts the muscles in its arms to shoot out rocks and occasionally Geodude." _

"Ugh . . . . . . shooting rocks . . . . . . that's a challenge." I murmured.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said.

"You gonna pick your pokémon or what?!" Jorock cried.

"Skimmy, go!" I cried, throwing a pokéball. Skimmy appeared in a flash of light.

"_Skaaaamory!!!"_ Skimmy said.

"A Skamory? Psssssh, I would've excpected you to use your Misdreavus . . . . ." Jorock said.

"You . . . . . knew I have a Misdreavus???" I cried.

"Your friend . . . . oh, whatshisname . . . . . . Nikolai." Jorock said. I winced.

"Skimmy, Steel Wing!!!!!!" I cried. Skimmy flew over to Rhyperior and slammed her wing into Rhyperior's face.

"Rhyperior, Hammer Arm, now!" Jorock cried just as I realized what stupid mistake I just made.

"Skimmy, watch out!!!" I cried. I was too late. Rhyperior had brought its rock-hard arm down on Skimmy, slamming her into the floor and severely denting the floor.

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy cried.

"Skimmy!!!" I cried and ran to see if she was okay. "Please get up!!!" Skimmy didn't answer. Jorock started laughing.

"I never expected you to be that weak, novice." Jorock said. "Some of your other friends were really good, especially Ash Ketchum . . . . . . compared to him, you're a joke!" I felt as though someone had stabbed me in my back. I wanted to strangle Jorock. I don't know how I restrained myself, but I did.

"Skimmy, Return!" I finally said. Skimmy went back into her pokéball.

"When my sister described her new rival to me, I was pretty excited for you to show up at my Gym." Jorock said.

"You're sister's . . . . . . JORDAN?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?" I cried.

"Yea. Though how you beat her, I don't know. Must've gotten lucky." Jorock snickered. I was fuming with anger.

"Nobody insults my pokémon and gets away with it!!!!!" I cried. "I'll be back, and you'll be sorry you ever made fun of my pokémon!!!"

"_Vulpix!" _Roxy said. Before Jorock could answer me, I turned on my heel and walked out of the battle room, Roxy right behind me.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter Forty-Nine: A Mental Connection

"Hi Leela! How'd it . . . ." Erin started, then stopped as she saw the look of fury on my face.

"What happened?" Nik asked.

"I lost." I spat.

"Roxy looks fine." Heather said.

"I didn't use her. I used Skimmy." I said.

"Ohhh." Heather said.

"So you're that mad you lost??" Ash asked.

"It's not because I lost . . . . . it's because of the name Jorock called me . . . . . he called me . . . . . A NOVICE!!!!!!!" I cried. "And I didn't just lose, I stunk!!! What bothered me the most, though, is that he said I was a joke!!!! And since he's Jordan's sister, he'll probably tell her all about my . . . . . . ."

"Defeat? Well, you kind of are a novice . . . . ." Ash asked as-a-matter-of-factly. I gave him a cold glare and walked out of the Gym.

"Lee, wait!" Nik cried. After I got out of the Gym, I pressed my ear against the wall.

"Leave her be." Brock said. "Her pride's been shattered, she needs alone time to recover." At that, I tore away from the Gym, Roxy right behind me. I stopped at the Pokémon Center to heal Skimmy and I resumed running until I almost ran off the edge of a cliff.

"Whoa . . . . . .!" I cried. I sat down at the edge of the cliff.

"_Vulpix vul?" _Roxy asked. I sighed and felt the cool sea breeze on my face. I started to stroke Roxy's back absentmindedly. _Frontier Island is out there. _I thought. _But I can't battle in the Battle Frontier without my Cliff Badge!!!!! Novice, a joke!! Oh why did my first Gym defeat have to be against Jordan's brother?!?!_ I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. _Pull yourself together. _I thought. _You've defeated . . . . one, two, three, four Gym Leaders. You can defeat some stupid Rhyperior!!!! Maybe if you used a different pokémon . . . . . ._

"_Don't even think about it." _Another voice in my head said. I whirled around.

"Who said that?!" I asked.

"_Me. Your Vulpix. Heeeey, we've established a mental connection!!!" _The voice said. I looked at Roxy.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"_We've gotten so close you can read my mind, and I can read yours. You don't have to be psychic." _Roxy said.

"Oh . . . . ." I said.

"_Anyway . . . . . don't even think about using another pokémon besides Skimmy in your rematch with Jorock." _Roxy said.

"Why?" I asked.

"_Because Skimmy was beaten pretty badly. She wants a chance for revenge...."_ Roxy said.

"Well, that makes sense . . . . ." I said. "Skimmy, come out!"

"_Skamory?" _Skimmy asked.

"Skimmy, I'm sorry I sent you out into battle without training you. My ambition and pride blinded me . . . . . and . . . . . . I'm really sorry. Please forgive me." I said earnestly.

"_Skamory!" _Skimmy said.

"_Skimmy accepts your apology." _Roxy said.

"Thanks, Skimmy." I said and hugged Skimmy. "Now, let's do some training!!!"

"_Okay!" _Roxy said.

****

Once we were at the Rockymouth City park, I looked around.

"This park is huge!" I said. "Let's catch some new friends, guys!"

"_Okay!" _Roxy said. I jumped. I still wasn't used to Roxy talking to me. It was kind of scary in a way.

"Yea . . . . . ." I said.

"_Skamory!" _Skimmy said. I looked around. Behind a tree, there was a male and a female Nidoran.

"A little pair of Nidos, huh?" I asked. I pulled out my PokéDex.

"_Nidoran." _My 'Dex chirped. _"The Poison Pin pokémon. The male and females of this species are often classified as different species._" The Nidorans turned at the sound of my PokéDex. "Um . . . . Roxy, Flamethrower, Skimmy, Steel Wing!" I commanded. Roxy breathed fire on the female Nidoran and Skimmy slammed her wing into the male Nidoran.

"_Wow, they look pretty dizzy." _Roxy remarked.

"Pokéballs, go!" I cried, throwing two pokéballs. The pokéballs sucked up the two Nidorans. The pokéballs shook vigorously, until they finally clicked.

"Awesome!" I said. "Good job, you two." I scooped up the two pokéballs.

"_What's their names?" _Roxy asked.

"Uh, Blueberry and Grape." I said suddenly.

"_Why Blueberry and Grape????" _Roxy asked.

"I don't know; it was the first thing that popped into my head . . . ." I said.

"_Skamory!" _Skimmy said. I looked around. Right across the bank was a brown Rattata!

"Skimmy, Fury Attack!" I cried. Skimmy flew at the Rattata, claws outstretched. Skimmy attacked the Rattata.

"_Rattata!" _The Rattata cried.

"Skimmy, watch out for its teeth!" I shouted. Rattata turned around, temporarily diverted. I quickly threw a pokéball at the Rattata. The pokéball sucked up the Rattata. It shook three times, then clicked.

"Awesome!" I said. "I've caught a shiny Rattata!"

"_Shiny?" _Roxy asked.

"Well, you know, alternately colored." I said.

"_Ohhh." _Roxy said.

"_Skamory! Skamory skam skam!"_ Skimmy cried.

"Uh . . . . ." I said.

"_Skimmy said she just learned Metal Sound!" _Roxy translated.

"GREAT!!!! THAT'S JUST WHAT I WANTED!!!!" I shouted.

"_Huh? I'm not making a connection . . . . ." _Roxy said.

"Well, I'll have Skimmy use Metal Sound and then Rhyperior will be confused!" I said.

"_Oh." _Roxy said.

"All right, let's go now. Skimmy, you're all trained up, so return!" I said, holding out Skimmy's pokéball.Skimmy went into her pokéball and we walked out of the park, taking the time to capture a Parasect that I nicknamed Bugsy along the way. I decided to call Erin. I dialed her PokéGear number.

"Hello?" Erin asked.

"Erin, it's me!" I said.

"Leela!!!! Where are you?????" Erin asked.

"I'm outside of the park. I did some training with Skimmy and I've come up with a fool-proof plan to defeat Jorock!!!" I said.

"_I wouldn't exactly call it foolproof . . . . ." _Roxy said. I ignored her.

"That's great!" Erin said.

"I'll meet you in front of the Gym!" I said.

"Okay, bye!" Erin said.

"Bye!" I said and hung up. "All right Roxy, we've got a badge to win!!!"

"_I just hope we don't get skunked again . . . . ." _Roxy sighed.

"Don't worry, 'cuz you won't!" I said.

"_Yea, it won't be me who gets skunked . . . ." _Roxy said.

"Oh come ON Roxy! Think positive!" I said. But in my head I was thinking, _We'd better not lose again, we'd better not lose again, we'd better not lose again . . . . . ._


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter Fifty: The Rematch

When I got to the Gym, my friends were waiting outside. I waved.

"Look! It's Leela!" My friends called and waved. I ran over to them.

"Hey guys! Guess what; I caught four new pokémon!" I said.

"What are they?" Ash asked.

"A male and a female Nido, a shiny Rattata, and a Parasect." I said.

"I've always wanted a Nido!" Hannah said. "They're so darn cute!!!"

"Well, maybe I'll trade . . . . ." I said. "But not now. I've got a badge to win!" I said.

"I'm going in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I said, but someone had grabbed my arm. I whirled around. It was Ash.

"Um, Leela . . . . . . are you sure you don't need more training? Isn't this a little reckless?" Ash asked.

"I don't know anyone more reckless than you, Ash!" I snapped. I was still pretty mad at him for bringing me down when I was already rock-bottom. "I don't need ANY help from SOMEONE WHO DESTROYED MY BIKE!!!!!!!" I added, yanking my arm out of his grasp. Ash first looked shocked, then he crossed his arms and turned away from me.

"Humph! Fine, you can lose again, for all I care." Ash sniffed. I was fuming.

"I'm going to win, and someday I'll beat you, Mr. Pokémon Master!!!!!!" I said angrily. Ash whirled around and was about to say something mean right back, but Brock stepped in between us.

"If you two keep spitting insults at each other, we'll never get on with this pokémon journey!!!!!!" Brock said. I stuck my tongue out at Ash and walked into the Gym.

"_Some of the things you said to Ash was pretty uncalled for . . . . ." _Roxy said.

"Some of the things HE said was pretty uncalled for!!!!" I snapped. I pushed open the battle room doors so hard they slammed against the wall. "I'm back!" I shouted. Jorock stood up.

"Well, well, if it isn't the novice. I was wondering if you would show your face again." Jorock said. My face grew bright red with anger.

"When I said I'd come back I meant it!" I snapped.

"Hm. We'll see about that. Rhyperior, go!" Jorock said, throwing a pokéball. The enormous Rhyperior appeared.

"Skimmy, go!" I cried.

"_Skamory!" _Skimmy said, spreading her steel-plated wings majestically.

"The Skamory again?" Jorock asked skeptically.

"Skimmy, Metal Sound!" I shouted, plugging my ears. Roxy also plugged her ears.

"Rhyperior, don't listen!" Jorock cried, plugging his own ears. But it was too late. Skimmy was already banging her wings together, making an eerie metallic sound that was confusing the Rhyperior. The Rhyperior started shooting boulders everywhere.

"Rhyperior, Giga Impact! Finish her!" Jorock shouted. Rhyperior ran at Skimmy, then turned and ran straight into the wall.

"Skimmy, Swift!" I shouted. Skimmy flapped her wings and little sharp stars flew toward Rhyperior, pinning it to the wall. Then, Rhyperior let out a little groan and collapsed onto the ground.

"YES!!!" I shouted. "Oh Skimmy, we did it!" I threw my arms around Skimmy's neck.

"_Skam!" _Skimmy said happily. I recalled her and turned to Jorock.

"_Now_ are you sorry you called me a novice??" I asked.

"Here." Jorock said, giving me the Cliff badge. "I don't know how you trained it in half an hour, but somehow you did." I grinned and took the badge from him. I pinned it onto my shirt.

"GOOD BYE!!! Make sure you tell Jordan about my VICTORY!!!!!!" I said gleefully and walked out of the Gym, Roxy right behind me.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter Fifty-One: Team Giralgkia Attacks!

"Did Jorock . . . . ." Ash started, but he stopped when he saw my badge.

"Nope!!!!!" I answered.

"Great job!" Nik said.

"Thanks." I said and grinned.

****

After we had eaten dinner, we were all huddled around a table in the boy's room talking about what we were going to do the next day.

"Oh, we're going to the BATTLE FRONTIER!!!!!!!" I said.

"Oh yes, better believe it!" Ash said.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu said.

"Um, okay. Looks like we'll be going there." Brock said.

"Suddenly, I'm just really, really tired." Hannah yawned.

"Well, it IS pretty late." Dawn said, looking at her watch.

"Yea. So good night everyone . . . . . . ." Greenalia said.

"Yea, good night." I said. We all filed out of the boy's room.

"Good night." Greenalia and Dawn said.

"Good night!" Hannah, Erin, Heather, and I said. Greenalia and Dawn went into their room.

"_I'm going to bed! Good night." _Roxy said and curled up on the foot of my bed.

"Good night Roxy." I said.

"Wow, it seems like you two can understand each other." Hannah said.

"Actually, we can." I said. I explained how Roxy and I had developed a mental connection.

"Wow, that's awesome!" Hannah said.

"Hey, that means you two are closer than Ash and Pikachu!" Erin said.

"Hey, you're right." I said.

"By the way do you still like him?" Hannah asked.

"DO YOU THINK I'M GOING TO TELL YOU?!?!?!?" I asked.

"Do you like Nikolai?" Hannah asked.

"I gave you the answer to that two weeks ago." I sniffed.

"Exactly. Two weeks is outdated." Hannah said. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, it's the same answer as before." I said. "Let's go to sleep, I'm tired."

"Okay. Good night." My friends said. But the truth was, I wasn't tired in the slightest. I was excited for the Battle Frontier. I wondered who the Frontier Brains were, because they liked to keep their identities a secret. Suddenly, I jerked my head up. I heard something. I slowly climbed out of bed. Something was wailing. I grabbed my bag and started towards the door.

"_Where do you think you're going?" _A voice asked. I turned around. Roxy was sitting up, staring at me.

"I'm going to investigate this sound I've been hearing. . . . . . ." I said. "There it is again!" Roxy pricked up her ears.

"_I don't hear anything." _Roxy said.

"WHAT?!?!?!?" I asked. "How could you not hear that?!"

"_Well geez, I dunno!" _Roxy snapped.

"Anyway, I'm going to investigate. You don't have to come if you don't want to." I said.

"_Heck Leela, of course I'm coming! Hearing things nobody else can hear usually isn't a very good sign, but you're my best friend, so I'm with you until the end!" _Roxy said. I grinned.

"Thanks." I said. I slowly opened the door. I looked in my bag for my flashlight, but my flashlight wasn't there. I peeked my head out of the doorway.

"_Now I'm hearing something....." _Roxy muttered. I slowly walked out of the doorway and looked around. I slowly tiptoed into the hall.

"Someone's coming!" I hissed and pressed against the wall. Roxy hid behind an enormous oriental vase as two very familiar people in Team Giralgkia uniforms came running down the hall, a Poochyena at their heels.

"Which room do you think the Seeker Jewel is in?" The woman asked. I recognized her immidiently. It was Sandra, with Poochyena and Samuel!

"I know which one it's in. Good thing _someone's _been paying attention!" Samuel said swelled pride in his voice.

"Oh, shut up!" Sandra said, slapping him. "Just which room is it in?"

"Room 360." Samuel said grumpily.

"Stop talkin' and let's grab the gem! When we get the jewel, we'll be in one of the top seats and I'll be top dog instead of that ratty Mightyena. Let's make tracks!" Poochyena said and they ran down the hall. Roxy slowly ran out from behind the vase.

"_We'd better go, the Seeker Jewel is in trouble!" _Roxy cried.

"You're right. Let's get going!" I said. Suddenly, a circle of light appeared on the floor. "Roxy, Flamethrower!!!!" I shouted. Suddenly, there was a flash of yellow and then everything went black.

****

I slowly opened my eyes.

"_Leela! You're awake!" _Roxy said.

"What happened....?" I asked.

"_Pikachu hit you with a Thunderbolt." _Roxy said. Suddenly, Ash's Pikachu bounced up next to Roxy.

"_Pikachu chu!" _He said.

"Um, hi . . . . . . what are you doing here?" I asked.

"_Pika pika pi pika pikachu pika pi pika pikachu!!!!!" _Pikachu said.

"Um . . . . . ." I said.

"_Pikachu is saying that Ash got up because he heard something. So when Ash ran into you, he thought you were a Team Giralgkia grunt or something and had Pikachu use Thunderbolt." _Roxy said.

"Oh. So where's Ash?" I asked.

"_He's out from MY Flamethrower!" _Roxy said proudly. I stood up.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"_Not very long . . . . . ten minutes at most." _Roxy said. I reached into my bag, looking for my flashlight. Then I remembered that someone had taken it.

"Drat." I said. I looked around. I saw Ash lying on the ground, slightly toasted, but otherwise looked fine. "HEY!!! HE TOOK MY FLASHLIGHT!!!!!" I said and yanked my flashlight out of his hand. I flicked it on and shone it on Ash's face.

"_Pika pika." _Pikachu sighed. I started shaking Ash.

"ASH!! GET UP!!! Good grief, I swear I'll smack you if you don't get up." I said. Ash didn't move. I slapped Ash twice across the face.

"YOW!! What'd you do that for?!?!?!? OWWWW DON'T SHINE THE LIGHT IN MY EYES!!!!!" Ash cried, trying to rub his cheeks and shelter his eyes from the light from my flashlight at the same time. I pointed my flashlight down at the ground and Ash stood up.

"WELL??" Ash asked furiously.

"It was for STEALING MY FLASHLIGHT, you sneak!" I snapped.

"Hey, how else was I supposed to see?" Ash asked.

"Look at these things in your skull. It's called YOUR EYES, ASH KETCHUM!!!" I said, pointing to my eyes.

"_Pika pi! Pikachu chu!" _Pikachu cried, running in between us.

"_Knock it off you guys!!! Remember Team Giralgkia????" _Roxy asked urgently. I really wanted to argue more with Ash and show him a piece of my mind, but Roxy was right.

"Come on, let's go." I said and started down the hall.

"Go where?" Ash asked.

"Um, where else??? To the room!" I said.

"Huh?" Ash asked.

"Oh, never mind." I said.

"Where are you? I don't see well in the dark." Ash said as I rounded a corner. I sighed deeply and grabbed his hand and pulled him after me. Ash stared at me, clearly shocked. "Ouch! Could we possibly go a little bit slower . . . . . ?" Ash asked.

"No way, unless you want the Seeker Jewel to be stolen!" I said.

"I have it." Ash said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the Seeker Jewel.

"SHHHHHH!" I hissed, sticking the Seeker Jewel back into Ash's pocket. "We don't know if they are gone or not!"

"Um . . . . who? Leela, please tell me what's going on." Ash said. I turned around and faced Ash.

"Um, okay. So Roxy and I were out exploring this weird noise, same as you, when two Team Giralgkia grunts come down the hall with this talking Poochyena and start talking about stealing the Seeker Jewel." I said.

"Um . . ." Ash said.

"They were talking about searching your room . . . . . you know, the one you share with Brock, Darkaroe, Nikolai, and Garrison?" I asked.

"Oh . . . . ." Ash said, wincing when I said Nikolai's name.

"YES! So they could be in trouble!" I said.

". . . . . . . Okay. Let's go." Ash said. I started pulling him again towards the door.

"_Pika pi." _Pikachu said and jumped onto Ash's shoulder.

"_Come on Leela, where's the door?" _Roxy asked. I shone my light on the door nervously. I put my hand on the doorknob, my hand shaking with fear about what I would see on the other side. Ash squeezed my fingers. I turned to Ash and gave him a nervous smile. Then I turned back to the door and slowly pushed it open. My hands flew to my mouth to keep from screaming.

* * *

_Hey everyone, Shaymin123 speaking here. Sorry for the cliff hanger everyone...it was much too tempting! Hope you like this chapter. PLZ GIVE FEEDBACK!!!!!_

_~Shaymin123_

_~The guacamole ends here~  
_


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter Fifty-Two: Team Rocket Attacks!

The room had been ransacked. All the boys were lying on the ground unconscious and their bags were wide open on the ground.

"Nikolai, wake up!" I cried, shaking Nik.

"B-Brock! Snap out of it, buddy!" Ash cried, shaking Brock.

"I don't think they'll be waking up for awhile now." A sneering voice from behind me said. We turned around.

"Team Rocket!" Ash and I shouted.

"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie shouted.

"Can't you bother us some other time??? We are a little busy here." Ash said.

"NEVER INTERRUPT THE TEAM ROCKET MOTTO!!!!!" Jessie shouted.

"Well, it's pretty annoying." Ash huffed.

"ARG! Whatever. GIVE US THE SEEKER JEWEL!!!" Jessie shouted.

"_Meowth_, dat's right." Meowth said.

"Oh no, now YOU know????" I groaned.

"'Course we do. Now hand it over." James said.

"No way! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!!!!!!!" Ash cried. Pikachu sent a bolt of lighting at Team Rocket. Meowth held up something that looked like some sort of satellite receiver. The bolt of lighting hit the thing and went flying back at Ash and Pikachu.

"DWAAAAAAH!!!" Ash cried as the thunderbolt hit him, knocking him and Pikachu out.

"................WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?!?!?!?!?" I cried.

"We just knocked them out, Mothemm twerpette!" James said proudly.

"Now if you don't mind, we'll take the Seeker Jewel now." Jessie said.

"WHAT?! No way!" I said. "Roxy, Quick Attack now!" Roxy charged at Team Rocket.

"Serviper!" Jessie shouted, throwing a pokéball.

"Cactnea!" James shouted, throwing a pokéball. Serviper and Cactnea appeared in front of Roxy. Cactnea ran back to James and threw its arms around him.

"OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!" James shouted.

"Misdreavus, go! Dark Pulse!" I shouted, throwing a pokéball. Misdreavus popped out of her pokéball and let out an enormous blast of dark light. It slammed into Team Rocket and they went flying out of the door. I slammed the door shut and triple-locked it.

"Thanks, Misdreavus." I said and hugged her. I recalled her and slowly walked around the room. "Nik? Ash? Garrison? Brock? Darkaroe? Come on you guys, wake up!" I shouted.

"WHAT THE PIE HAPPENED?????" Heather asked, bursting into the room with Erin, Hannah, Dawn, and Greenalia.

"TG and TR......" I said.

"Huh?" Erin asked.

"Team Giralgkia and Team Rocket!!!! They were searching for.....for....the you-know-what!!!!!!" I said.

"You mean.......the Seeker Jewel???????" Erin asked.

"_Yes._" I said impatiently.

"Well, did they take it?" Hannah asked. Just then, the Seeker Jewel rolled out of Ash's pocket. I quickly scooped it up and put it in my bag.

"I guess not." I said.

"Look, a note!" Erin said, unsticking a note from a nightstand. We all clustered around to read it.

Dear Punks,

GIVE US THE SEEKER JEWEL OR ELSE!!!!!!

Love,

Sandra, Samuel, and Poochyena

"_Love??????_" I said despairingly.

"And what's 'or else'?" Heather asked.

"No need to worry! I think we should just forget about it." Dawn said.

"Why?" Hannah asked.

"Look at the sloppy handwriting! And _love_???? Come _on_." Dawn said.

"But look at what they've done!" Erin said, kneeling down next to Darkaroe. "Look at all these scratches, and there's this huge bruise on his arm."

"Hang on. I'll use Curly-Q to fix them up, try waking everyone. Curly-Q, come out!" I shouted, throwing a pokéball.

"_ChansEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!" _Curly-Q said.

"Whoa.......urgh......my.....head......" Nikolai moaned.

"Nikolai! Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling down next to him.

"Ughhhhh.........Leela?" Nikolai asked, pulling himself up into a sitting position.

"Yea. Hang on. Curly-Q, Softboiled!" I said. Curly-Q squeezed an egg out of her pouch. I took it out and gave it to Nik, who slowly took a bite and closed his eyes.

"Feel better?" I asked.

"Yea." Nik said.

"So, what happened?" I asked.

* * *

_Annnnnnnnd yet another cliffhanger! Sorry for the cliffhanger and such a short chapter. _

_P.S. Should this story end with MasterShipping (AshxLeela) or ObliviousShipping (NikolaixLeela)? I already had an ending planned but I just want to see what you think.  
_

_~The Ultimate S  
_


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter Fifty-Three: Gary Oak

"Well, I heard some scuffling noises, so I got up. Turned out there was the two Team Giralgkia agents with their Poochyena that took you who broke into our room. As they were saying their motto, they woke the others except Ash, who was gone." Nik said.

"Ash was with me!" I exclaimed.

"What?! Why?!" Nik asked.

"Well.......not exactly. I'll tell you about it later.....please continue." I said.

"We tried to stall them while Brock called the police but the phone wasn't working." Nik said.

"That's strange." I said.

"Well anyway, then they released Bagon and Golbat and they used a combination of DragonsBreath and knocked us out." Nik said, pressing his hand against his forehead.

"Well, everyone's awake." Heather said. "Let's go."

"Go where?" Nik asked.

"To Frontier Island. We can't afford to lose time. Team Giralgkia knows where we are, it's best to get out of here." Heather said.

"But.....how early is it?" I asked.

"It's 3:30 in the morning. I know, it's early, but you'll probably thank me earlier. Plus, you can take a little nap on the ferry." Heather said.

"Where are we going again?" Brock asked dazedly. Greenalia sighed.

"I'll tell you later." Greenalia said.

"Wait! What about our stuff?" I asked.

"I've got it." Dawn said, holding out all of our bags.

"Thanks." I said. "Let's head out."

****

Once we had gotten onto the ferry, we all just relaxed on deck, breathing in the fresh air.

"Mmmmmm." I sighed.

"This is so relaxing." Dawn sighed.

"_I agree......" _Roxy muttered.

"The sunrise is so gorgeous, isn't it?" Greenalia asked.

"Yea." Brock said. I noticed they were holding hands. I grinned and leaned on the railing.

"What?" Nik asked.

"Nothing........just the sunrise...........really pretty, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yea......just like......" Nik started, then stopped abruptly.

"What?" I asked.

"Um.....hahahaha.....I lost my train of thought......" Nik said nervously.

"Ashy-boy!" Someone shouted. _Only one person in the world would call Ash that....._ I thought. Everyone turned around.

"Gary! You gave me a heart attack!" Ash said.

"Hi Gary....." I said nervously.

"You're......._him_?" Heather asked.

"Um....that depends on what you mean by him." Gary said.

"Gary Oak! Professor Oak's grandson!!!!!!" Heather said.

"Oh. Yea, that's me." Gary said.

"He's cute!" Hannah said in my ear. I sighed deeply. I quickly introduced Gary to all of my friends.

"Nice to meet you." Gary said.

"Uh, yea, sure." Nikolai said. _What the heck is Nikolai's problem?! I don't get why he hates Ash and judging by the way he's looking at Gary, he's not leaving a good impression on Nik either....._ I thought nervously.

"So Gary, what are you doing on the ferry so early?" Ash asked after I was finished.

"There is a rare and powerful pokémon that lives in the sea around Frontier Island." Gary whispered. "It's called Milotic and I want a chance to study it."

"Ooh, sounds interesting." Hannah said.

"Oh, um, yes, it its." Gary said.

"Well, why don't you come along with us then, Gary?" Dawn suggested.

"Sure." Gary said. I was starting to have an uncanny feeling that he may have been stalking me. _Leela, that's ridiculous,_ I told myself. Gary sat down in a seat next to Ash and Hannah, who was staring at Gary as if he had just saved the world or something.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Battle Frontier

When the boat reached Frontier Island, the boat stopped with a small jolt.

"Let's go!" Garrison said. The minute we stepped out onto the deck, something started singing a familiar theme song:

_Pokémon!  
It's a battle, win or lose  
It's the friends you make, it's the road you choose  
You've got the right stuff  
So make your mind up  
Find the courage inside of you  
If you're strong you'll survive  
And you'll keep your dream alive  
It's the Battle Frontier  
Pokémon!  
Be the best you can be  
And find your destiny  
It's the master plan  
The power's in your hand  
Pokémon!  
You've got the  
Strength to win it  
So stay in it  
If you're smart you can take it all  
If you're strong you'll survive  
And you'll keep your dream alive  
It's the Battle Frontier  
Pokémon!  
Be the best you can be  
And find your destiny  
It's the master plan  
(It's the master plan!)  
The power's in your hand  
Pokémon!_

"Is it over?" Garrison asked fearfully.

"I think so. Why are you so scared?" Heather asked.

"It just.....surprised me, that's all." Garrison said, turning bright red.

"Well, let's go!" Darkaroe said.

"Where _should _we go?" Greenalia asked.

"The PC Battle Rotunda!" Ash said.

"The Battle Factory!" Nik said.

"The Time Battlefield!" I said.

"The Fortune Battle Colosseum!" Erin said.

"Whoa.....looks like we have a bit of a disagreement." Darkaroe said nervously.

"I should be off, trying to find Milotic. See you guys later." Gary said and dashed off.

"Bye!" We all shouted at his back.

"Well.....so where are we going to go?" Brock asked.

"Well, I don't care.....I just want to battle!" I said.

"Then..........let's go to the Battle Factory!" Nik said. Ash opened his mouth, about to argue, but then he shut it.

"Let's go then!" Hannah said. We walked into a strange-looking building that looked like an enormous gear.

"_Wow! This place looks so cool!" _Roxy said. We ran up to the desk.

"Hello, what can I do for you today?" The lady at the desk asked.

"I want to sign up for a tournament!" I said.

"Name and town of residence?" the lady asked.

"Leela Locke from Motem Town!" I said.

"Okay. Got you signed up.....now we need two other people to sign up." The lady said.

"ME!" Ash cried.

"Me!" Nik cried.

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Ash said.

"I'm Nikolai Fernandez from Motem Town!" Nik said.

"All right! Got you signed up. Follow me." The woman said. We waved to our friends and followed the woman. We walked into a room. "I leave you here. Goodbye." The woman said and left. I looked around at Ash and Nikolai, staring each other down. Neither was backing down. I sighed deeply.

"Hello there." A cheery man walked into the room. "You're Leela, Ash, and Nikolai, correct?" We all nodded.

"Well, it's time to choose your rental pokémon." The man said.

"_Whaaaaaat?!" _Roxy cried.

"Rental pokémon?" I asked.

"Yea. This is the Battle Factory.......you have to battle with rental pokémon." The man said. I turned to Ash, and he nodded. "Don't worry, you'll be getting your pokémon back after the tournament is over." The man said. He held out his hand. I reluctantly placed my pokéballs in his hand.

"Keep the Vulpix out of her pokéball, okay?" I asked. The man nodded.

"Same with my Pikachu." Ash said and placed his pokéballs in the man's hand. Nik handed over his pokéballs without a word.

"Thanks." The man said. "Now your choices for rental pokémon are Pulsle, Golbat, Seel, Espeon, Glaceon, Vaporeon, Farfetch'd, Diglett, and Pupitar."

"Ladies first." Nik said. Ash opened his mouth as if to argue but didn't say anything.

"Okay.....I choose Espeon, Glaceon, and Vaporeon." I said, scooping up the pokéballs. Ash and Nikolai were still having a staring contest. I reached in between them and snapped my fingers.

"Ahhh!" Ash said. "What was that for?"

"AHEM!" I cleared my throat and gestured toward the pokéballs.

"Okay then, I choose Seel, Pulsle, and Diglett!" Ash said, scooping up three pokéballs. Nik bent down and scooped up the remaining three pokéballs.

"Each battle is a one-on-one until you reach the Frontier Brain, on which occasion it is a three-on-three. And here are the results!" The man said. He pulled a string and some results appeared on the board.

"All right!" I said.

"Leela, follow me into the stands." The man said. I followed the man up the stairs and into a box. I had an excellent view of the stadium, where I could see Nik and Ash were looking extremely eager to battle.

"HELLO!!!!!!!!!!" A loud booming voice shouted. I covered my ears and winced.

"I'm Benny Bighead and I'm commentating this match between Nikolai Fernandez from Motem Town and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! This is a one-on-one rental battle. There is no time limit. No items are allowed. And......let the match begin!" The loudspeaker above my head said.

"Go Pulsle!" Ash shouted.

"Golbat, I choose you!" Nik shouted.

"A slight type mismatch which could give Nikolai a disadvantage!"

"Pulsle, start it off with a Spark!"

"Golbat use Fly!"

"HaHA!!!!! Pulsle uses Spark but Golbat flew out of the way! This might be a long match, folks!"

"THUNDERSHOCK!"

"SLUDGE BOMB!"

"Ash's got Pulsle using ThunderShock and Nikolai's got Golbat using Sludge Bomb! The two attacks collided! Look at that explosion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"THUNDERSHOCK AGAIN!!!!!!"

"AIR CUTTER!!!!!!!"

"And Ash's got Pulsle using ThunderShock again.............and Nikolai's using Air Cutter! OOOOOOOOOOH!!!!!!!!! LOOK AT THAT!!!!!! PULSLE'S DOWN!!! NIKOLAI WINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" There was a long round of applause as Ash and Nikolai recalled their pokémon. I jumped down from my box and gave Nik a high-five.

"Nice job!" I said.

"Thanks." Nik said.

"Now you must battle ME!!! Mwahahahaha....." I laughed. Nik grinned. Ash walked over to us. "You did a great job too." I said, smiling at him.

"Yea. If only I could use Pikachu......" Ash said. I noticed him and Nik were having another glaring contest.

"Come on you guys! Shake hands!" I said. They both turned to me. Then they grasped hands as if they were trying to break each other's fingers and shook stiffly. I heaved a deep sigh. _Why do Nik and Ash hate each other so much? _I wondered for the umpteenth time.

****

"YO PEOPLES! It's Benny Bighead again, commentating this match between Nikolai Fernandez from Motem Town and Leela Locke from Motem Town! This is a rental, one-on-one battle! There is no time limit. Let the battle begin!" The loudspeaker said. I could feel Ash's eyes boring into the back of my head.

"Go Vaporeon!" I shouted.

"Farfetch'd, let's go!" Nikolai shouted.

"Vaporeon, Ice Beam!"

"Farfetch'd, Aerial Ace!"

"Annnnnnd Vaporeon uses Ice Beam!!! Ooh, but Farfetch'd dodges and uses Aerial Ace! Ouch, that looked like it hurt!"

"Ice Beam again!"

"Scratch! Then Lucky Chant!"

"Vaporeon tries again with the Ice Beam.........But Farfetch'd dodges again and uses Scratch!"

"Water Gun! Knock Farfetch'd out of the air!"

"Vaporeon tries again........and fails! Farfetch'd dodges again!"

"Wing Attack!"

"Farfetch'd coming in for the Wing Attack......"

"NOW VAPOREON! ICE BEAM WHILE IT'S CLOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"BRILLIANT! Leela has Vaporeon using Ice Beam while Farfetch'd is coming in for the attack! Oh......and it's frozen, and unable to battle! Leela wins!"

"YES!" I shouted. "Great job, Vaporeon."

"It's okay Farfetch'd. Return!" Nik said.

"Great job, Nik. You almost beat me!" I said.

"Well, I didn't. That's the second time you beat me." Nik said and winked. I grinned.

"Better believe it!" I said. We shook hands. Ash jumped down from the box like I had done at least fifteen minutes before and held out a hand. I grinned and slapped it.

"Great job." Ash said.

"Too bad it's you who has to battle me now." I said, grinning.

"Oh, I'm gonna win, Leela. You better believe it." Ash said.

"We'll see." I said and winked.

****

We had a thirty-minute break before I was to battle Ash. I walked up into the stands with Nik and Ash right behind me.

"Leela! You were so awesome out there! A real hotshot!" Darkaroe grinned.

"Thanks." I said and grinned.

"You sure were!" Heather added.

"All of you were." Greenalia said.

"Who do you think will win? Leela or Ash?" Brock asked Dawn. Dawn looked over Ash and I.

"I really don't know." Dawn admitted. "They're both really good. I've known Ash longer than Leela, but I can't exactly base my decision on that."

"OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!" Heather shouted. "IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS????"

"I don't know." Garrison said.

"It's.......JAMIE!!!!!! And.......oh good Mew......is that.......JORDAN????? Don't tell me they're dating......." I said.

"I've got to go say something. Something mean to him." Heather seethed.

"She really hates him, doesn't she?" Garrison asked.

"We all do." Hannah said. "But she hates him way more than we do. In fact, she _loathes_ him."

"Oh yes." Erin said. "You won't believe it." Heather was pushing her way through the crowds toward Jamie. I sighed and ran after her.

"Heather! Heather! I understand you hate Jamie but....."

"But WHAT??? He deserves it!"

"Wow, is it the chicken?" Jamie asked, turning around. He was holding Jordan's hand. I felt like I was about to barf. The two people I hated most in the world were together.

"Well hello there, Leela Locke from Loser Town." Jordan said nastily.

"You're going out with _him?_" I asked, ignoring the insult.

"What is it your business?" Jordan snapped. "Anyway, your battle with that other loser guy.....oh, whatshisname......Nick something........you almost lost. I was quite surprised when you won." I was seething with rage, and so was Heather, by the looks of it.

"Shut up about my friend!" I said.

"Ooooh, you dumped Ash for that guy?" Jordan asked, snickering.

"I was never with Ash, and I'm not with Nikolai either!" I snapped.

"Oh, no, you dumped Gary Oak." Jordan said, obviously enjoying the reaction she was getting out of me.

"I WAS NEVER WITH GARY EITHER!!!!!!!" I cried. I was very aware of my face glowing bright red. I pulled out Espeon's pokéball.

"Oh, so it's a fight you want?" Jordan asked.

"We can battle quite efficiently, especially together." Jamie said, giving Jordan an adoring look. Another wave of nausea swept through me. Heather pulled out Treecko's pokéball, also obviously looking for a battle. Before any of us could throw any pokéballs, Garrison grabbed Heather's hand and Ash grabbed my hand.

"Come on Leela! It's go time!" Ash said.

"Go time? Is that code for a date?" Jordan asked curiously.

"NO!!!!! It's time for us to battle! Come on, Leela!" Ash said, pulling me away.

"Come on, Heather! We'll battle with these Magikarps later." Garrison said.

****

"It's Benny Bighead again, commentating this match between Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Leela Locke from Motem Town! The usual rules apply; it's a one-on-one rental battle and there is no time limit. Let the battle begin!" The loudspeaker shouted.

"Go Diglett!" Ash cried.

"Espeon! Go!" I shouted.

"Espeon vs. Diglett! This might be an interesting battle!"

"Diglett, Mud-Slap!"

"Espeon, Psybeam!"

"And.......Diglett's Mud-Slap hits! Oh.....but so did Espeon's Psybeam! Diglett's confused while it looks like Espeon can't see!"

"Sucker Punch Diglett!"

"Espeon, give Diglett a little taste of your SolarBeam attack!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOH! That Sucker Punch looks like it hurt.....BRILLIANT SOLARBEAM!!!!!! That poor Diglett!"

"ESPEON FINISH IT OFF WITH A LAST RESOOOOOOOOOOOOORT!!!!!!"

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Espeon finishes Diglett off with its Last Resort! Leela wins! She'll get to challenge the Frontier Brain!" I hugged Espeon.

"Espeon, you did a great job. Return!"

"So did you, Diglett. Return!"

"Good job, Ash." I said and grinned.

"Heh, thanks. You too." Ash said. We shook hands. Something in my stomach squirmed as I looked into Ash's face. "Time for LUNCH!!!!!!!!!" Ash said and grinned. I went into total hysterics.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter Fifty-Five: Mission: Save Milotic!

Five minutes later, all of my friends and I were gathered in a cafeteria, eating some chicken sandwiches that Brock had made.

"Congratulations, Leela!" Hannah said, giving me a high-five. "You looked awesome out there."

"Thanks." I said, grinning. Ash and Nik strolled into the room.

"Where were you?" Brock asked, handing them each a sandwich.

"Turning in our rental pokémon and getting our pokémon back." Ash said as Pikachu peeked out from behind Ash's head.

"_Pika pikachu!" _Pikachu said. I smiled and waved at him.

"I wonder how Gary's doing with his investigation.....?" Hannah said just as Gary dashed into the room.

"Milotic........in trouble.....need help!" Gary gasped.

"I'm going!" Ash said, jumping up.

"Me too!" I said, also jumping up. We dashed out of the Battle Factory.

"Where's Milotic?" I asked.

"In........an......underground......lake.......on the other......side.......of.......island....." Gary panted.

"What happened?" Ash asked.

"People.....in.....weird.....uniforms....tried....taking it......in an enormous..........net." Gary panted. "Couldn't...........do...............anything.................."

"But what about your Blastoise and Arcanine?" Ash asked.

"Left them............with Professor Oak...........take a left turn............" Gary said.

"ARRRRG!!!!!!" Ash groaned.

"Down here, quickly." Gary said, pointing down a set of a rough stone staircase leading down into the earth. We dashed down the stairs. I looked out at the scene before me. It would have been beautiful if there wasn't an enormous crane lifting a net out of the water with a struggling water-snake like pokémon caught in it. The crane was being operated by two oddly familiar Team Giralgkia agents and a Poochyena.

"Milotic!" Gary cried.

"Do something!" I shouted at Ash.

"What???" Ash cried.

"ANYTHING!!!!!!!" I shouted.

"Okay then..............Pikachu, try a Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

"Is that your solution for everything.....?" I asked. Pikachu sent a powerful bolt of electricity at the machine. The machine stopped dead.

"What happened???" The female Giralgkia agent asked, turning around. I recognized her immidiently.

"IT'S YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I shouted.

"You KNOW them??????" Gary and Ash asked incredulously.

"GIVE US THE !!!!!!!!!" Sandra shrieked.

"Huh? What's that?" Gary asked. Ash slapped his forehead.

"NEVER!" I shrieked.

"Then we'll have to sacrifice this Milotic!" Samuel said, leaning out of the window of the crane.

"No! No! Whatever the Seeker Jewel is, it can't be important enough to sacrifice such a rare and beautiful pokémon!" Gary cried.

"You have no idea." I sighed.

"Here's what you want, right?" Ash yelled, holding the Seeker Jewel above his head.

"ASH KETCHUM WHAT IN THE NAME OF MEW ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?" I shrieked and tackled him. "It's no use bargaining with them!" I hissed angrily in Ash's ear. "They'll take the Seeker Jewel AND destroy Milotic!" Ash struggled to get up but I had him pinned firmly to the cave floor.

"Let me UP!" Ash said angrily, his handsome brown eyes flashing. "I have a PLAN!" I gulped. I _loved _his eyes.

"Fine. Just don't make it a complete disaster." I said and got off him, trying to make it look like I wasn't melting inside by the look he was giving me.

"Team Giralgkia!!!!!! I got the Seeker Jewel!" Ash shouted. "Come get it!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!!!!!!!" I hissed.

"I have this UNDER CONTROL!" Ash snapped.

"You sure?" Gary asked. "Look over there." Team Giralgkia had somehow gotten Milotic to use Ice Beam and it was freezing a path across the lake so that they could walk across.

"Did you plan on that?!" I yelled at Ash.

"Uh......................." Ash said. By now Milotic had frozen a complete path across the lake and Team Giralgkia was walking across. "Pikachu, Volt Tackle!" Ash shouted.

"ASH TEAM GIRALGKIA WEARS RUBBER UNIFORMS!!!!" I cried. But it was too late. Pikachu was already dashing across the ice path, charging electricity as he went.

"Nidorino, let's go!" Gary shouted, throwing a pokéball. _I've got to help too! _I thought. I dug into my bag and picked a random pokéball.

"Go!" I shouted. Glaceon appeared. Nidorino was charging across the ice bridge with Pikachu. "Glaceon Quick Attack!" Glaceon charged after Nidorino and Pikachu. Team Giralgkia gave a small shriek before the pokémon attacked.

"Ice Beam!" I shouted.

"Poison Sting!" Gary shouted.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. Ice, poison needles, and jets of electricity went flying in all directions.

"Get down!" Gary shouted, pushing Ash and I down onto the ground.

"Pika............CHUUUUUUU!!!!" Pikachu shouted. There was an enormous explosion. Once the smoke had cleared away, there was a gigantic hole in the ceiling and Team Giralgkia was gone.

"Pikachu, Glaceon, Nidorino, will you please get off my back?" Ash asked.

"Will ALL of you get off of MY back????" I shouted. Gary, who was standing a foot away from us, started chuckling.

"WHAT?!" Ash and I shouted at him.

"Nothing, nothing, nothing......." Gary gasped.

"Seriously, Ash, GET OFF MY BACK!!!!!" I shouted.

"I can't until Pikachu, Nidorino, and Glaceon get off......GARY WILL YOU PLEASE STOP LAUGHING YOUR HEAD OFF AND HELP US?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" Ash said.

"Nidorino, Return!" Gary said in between giggles. Glaceon hopped off of Ash's back and started prancing around the cave. Pikachu slowly slid off of Ash and Ash rolled off of me.

"Ahhh! I can BREATHE!!! Wow Ash, you're really heavy." I said, sitting up.

"Thanks." Ash muttered. Gary abruptly stopped roaring with laughter.

"What's up Gary?" I asked, standing up.

"Milotic! It's hurt." Gary said. He dashed over the ice path. Ash and I followed him. Gary put a hand on Milotic's shiny scales. "It's got a fever. It's probably poisoned. I shouldn't have had Nidorino use Poison Sting......"

"Well don't just stand here!!!! Does anyone have an Antidote??" Ash asked.

"I'll get Brock! He'll have one." I said, starting to dash across the lake. Gary grabbed my arm.

"There's no time for that!" He said. "We've got to get this pokémon to the Pokémon Center!" I stared at the thrashing Milotic in the net.

"Um...............how?" I asked.

"You'll catch it!" Gary said

".............ME?!" I asked. Gary ignored me and whipped out a pocket knife and started cutting through the net.

"Okay Leela! The minute Milotic is in the water throw the pokéball!" Gary shouted.

"Got it." I said and rummaged into my bag for an empty Ultra Ball. I heard a big splash. I automatically threw the Ultra Ball. A red light shot out and captured Milotic. The ball magically floated into my hands and started shaking.

"Come on! Let's go!" Gary shouted.

"But the ball hasn't clicked yet!" I said. Again, Gary pretended he didn't hear me. I quickly recalled Glaceon and dashed after Gary and Ash, the Ultra Ball still shaking violently in my hands. Once we had reached the top of the stairs, the pokéball started to open.

"ASH! GARY!" I shouted, trying to hold the pokéball closed. Ash and Gary whirled around. Then suddenly, the pokéball blew apart. The next thing I knew I was flying through the air. Then I slammed into something really hard that knocked me out cold.

****

"Leela! Leela, get up!" Ash yelled. He was yanking on my arm forcefully.

"Wh-what?" I asked, very dazed.

"LOOK OUT!" Ash yelled and pulled me away from the thrashing Milotic.

"UM ASH A LITTLE HELP OVER HERE WOULD BE NICE!!!!!!!!!" Gary screamed.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. Pikachu shocked Milotic. Milotic swayed and fell to the ground, making an enormous dent in the earth. I quickly threw an Ultra Ball. The ball shook violently for a few minutes, then clicked. I bent down to pick up the Ultra Ball. I stood up.

"Whoa....I'm....dizzy....." I muttered. Gary ran up from behind me and steadied me by putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Come on, let's go to the Pokémon Center. We'll heal up this Milotic and get Leela fixed up. That really must've hurt." Gary said. I ran my fingers through my hair. My head felt unusually heavy.

"It did." I muttered. We started walking slowly towards the city, me leaning heavily on Gary's shoulder. I suddenly stumbled and fell before Gary could catch me, my head hitting the ground. All went black.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter Fifty-Six: The Battle Frontier: Part 2

"Leela! Leela! Leela.........can you hear me?!" Nikolai's scared voice echoed in my mind. Feeling was coming back to me. My head started throbbing again, and there was a slight pressure on my hand.

"............Nikolai?"

"Leela! You're awake!" Nik said and hugged me.

"Hi everyone....." I said.

"You're okay!" Heather said.

"I guess......Nik.....please let go of me." I said.

"Oh.....sorry." Nik said, blushing.

"Where am I?" I asked, looking around.

"At the Pokémon Center." A Nurse Joy in the corner said. "We'll fix you up with my Blissey." She took an egg from a Blissey's pouch and gave it to me. "You'll feel immediate improvement but it won't be completely healed."

"Thanks." I said, taking the egg. I took a bite of it and felt immediate improvement.

"How do you feel?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Much better." I said and got up. "How's Milotic?"

"Fine!" Nurse Joy said and handed me the pokéball. "We've restored her to full health." I took the pokéball and thrust it into the air.

"I've got a Milotic! And her name is Beau!" I said. I stuck the pokéball into my pocket. "And I'm ready to challenge the Frontier Brain!"

"We'll watch." Greenalia promised.

"Yeah, we'll be cheering you on." Darkaroe said.

****

An hour later, I was sitting behind the door to the stadium, fidgeting nervously. _What kind of pokémon will she have??? Is the Frontier Brain even a she??? _I twisted my hair around my finger and stared at Glaceon's pokéball. I had already decided to lead my team with her.

The crowd roared. That was my cue to walk into the stadium. I took a deep breath and walked into the stadium. Standing at the other side was a little girl with blonde hair and a blue bow in her hair. She couldn't be much older than ten. I narrowed my eyes. Was this a trick?

"It's Benny Bighead here, commentating this match between Leela Locke of Motem Town and the Frontier Brain Angelica." The loudspeakers said. I stared at the little girl. She grinned at me.

"You excpected me to be older?" She asked.

"Well yeah........" I muttered. The girl smiled.

"Don't underestimate me just 'cuz I'm only ten. Many challengers have lost that way." Angelica said and winked.

"Got it. Glaceon, I choose you!" I said, throwing a pokéball.

"Pidgeot! Assume battle mode!" Angelica said.

"Glaceon vs. Pidgeot!!! Ice vs. flying!!!!! Angelica, you've put yourself at a clear disadvantage!!!!!" The loudspeakers boomed. The crowd booed. I gave Angelica a skeptic look.

"Pidgeot, start things off with a Steel Wing!" Angelica said, still smiling.

"Glaceon, Ice Beam!" I said.

"And Pidgeot starts out with a steel wing......OOOOO!!! Glaceon's Ice Beam hits Pidgeot right in the chest.......and he's frozen and unable to battle!" _That was too easy...._I thought. _Angelica must be laying some kind of trap....._ "Angelica recalls Pidgeot....."

"Porygon!" Angelica shouted. "Go!"

"And she goes with Porygon!"

"Glaceon, Blizzard!" I shouted.

"A definite chill runs through the stadium as Glaceon whips up a snowstorm!!! It's so hard to see!!!"

"Signal Beam now!" Angelica shouted.

"Porygon's Signal Beam makes its way through the blizzard.....and hits Glaceon right in the chest!!! Glaceon is thrown backwards....."

"Take Down!!!" I shouted.

"Glaceon's charging at Porygon..."

"THUNDERSHOCK!!!!!" Angelica said.

"And Porygon lets loose a ThunderShock that's shaking the stadium! What power!! The dust and snow is beginning to clear......and Glaceon's down!"

"Glaceon, you did great. Return." I said. Glaceon returned to her pokéball. Angelica was staring at me with her Porygon, a smug smile on her face.

"I don't know much about Porygon, but I'll have to try.......Espeon!!!!! Go!!!!" I shouted, throwing a pokéball.

"Leela's back in the battle with Espeon! Let's see how this turns out!"

"Tri Attack, Porygon!!!" Angelica shouted.

"Psybeam, Espeon!!!!" I shouted.

"A ball of electricity, water, and fire is sent at Espeon.....but Espeon retaliates with a purple beam of light!!!! The two attacks meet in midair.....look at that explosion!!!!!"

"Espeon, you okay??" I asked.

"Porygon!!!!" Angelica shouted.

"Both pokémon seem to be down from the explosion!!! This is quite an interesting battle!"

"Good job Porygon. Return!" Angelica said.

"You deserve a rest Espeon. Return!" I said.

"Each side has only one pokémon left!!! Ooooh, the suspense!!!!"

"Torterra!!! Go!" Angelica shouted.

"And Angelica's going with Torterra! What do you answer with, Leela?" I winced. The only pokémon I had left was Vaporeon, which could mean certain death. I took Vaporeon's pokéball into my hands. _Should I forfeit? _

"Whatcha gonna do, Leela? We haven't got all day!" I squeezed my eyes shut and threw the pokéball.

"GO!" I shouted.

"VAPOREON?????????" The loudspeaker howled. I winced.

"We can't afford to take even one hit." I hissed to Vaporeon. "Use all of your speed and we'll get a chance." Vaporeon nodded.

"Frenzy Plant!" Angelica shouted.

"Surf!" I said.

"Plants shoot up from the ground.....but Vaporeon's unmatched speed is dodging them!!! Then there's an enormous wave........and Torterra is knocked off its feet!!! Wow!!!"

"The time is now! While it's stunned!!! BubbleBeam!!!" I shouted.

"Vaporeon sends a BubbleBeam at Torterra.....it doesn't look like it did much....."

"I've got it!!!!! ICE BEAM!!! FREEZE IT!!!!!" I shouted.

"Torterra!!! Earthquake!!!!" Angelica said.

"And the ground is shaking......Vaporeon jumps off the ground.....and hits it with Ice Beam from above!!!!!!!! Amazing!!!!!!!! Torterra's frozen and unable to battle!!!!! Leela is the winner!!!!!!"

"YES!!!" I shouted. "Great job Vaporeon, you did it!" Angelica recalled Torterra and flashed me a smile.

"You're really, really, really strong!!!!" She said. I shrugged.

"So are you." I said. Angelica grinned and shook my hand.

"Here's the Rental Symbol. You've earned it!" She said.

"Thanks!!!" I said.

"And......you should probably take those pokémon too." She said.

"What?" I asked and stared at Vaporeon, who was nuzzling my leg.

"They've taken quite a liking to you." Angelica said.

"Really?! Thanks! I'll give them all names....the Vaporeon is Aurora, the Espeon is Sun, and the Glaceon is Glacie." I said and recalled Aurora.

"Goodbye now!! Have fun!!!" Angelica said.

"Bye! And thanks for everything!" I said and walked out of the stadium, the crowd's cheering echoing in my ears.

****

"Roxy!" I shouted. I was back at the rental place and my pokémon were waiting for me.

"_Leela!" _Roxy said and jumped into my outstretched arms. _"What took you so long?" _

"You don't know the half of it." I said, giving Gary and Ash a sideways look. "Thanks for everything." I told the rental man.

"Don't mention it." The man said. We walked out of the Battle Factory.

"It's late....." I said.

"Yeah. Let's go to the hotel and SLEEP for once." Darkaroe grinned. Greenalia gave him a friendly push.

"You're such a Snorlax!!!" She said.

**Yeah, its Shaymin123 here.**

**Sorry about the long wait.......I've been wicked busy....**

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